


QUARTET NIGHT AU: Routes to a Strange World

by Shinpiteki_A



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Ai crossdressing, Ai’s actually younger than you!, Also Little Camus, Alternate Universe, Angst, But I was interested how this will turn out, Confessions, Expect a fluffy quintet relationship soon, F/M, Fluff, Going back to childhood so, Have a bit of Little Ai here, Just something random I thought of, Kinda a mistake to think of, M/M, Multi, Multiple Relationships, Pre-Relationship, Quarter Night bonding with Aine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-01-06 02:02:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21218726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinpiteki_A/pseuds/Shinpiteki_A
Summary: In this AU, Quartet Night are not idols (actually, Ranmaru is a rockstar out on the streets and anyone can be an idol, so follow your dreams). Instead, we get a pastry shop owner, a rocker, a shy stalker, and a spy, so enjoy a bit of randomness (and gayness) while you’re in it with them.Disclaimer: I only own the AU itself and the plot following it.





	1. Info

_ Kotobuki Reiji _

_ Appearance: Forest green hoodie and crocs. Black regular pants. Light yellow apron with his last name sewed on it in brown. _

_ Works and lives in a two-floor small pastry store that has been passed down through generations with his sick best friend, Kisaragi Aine. Heard lots of strange and interesting stories from his customers as they ate the desserts and drinks he makes. He also creates his own stories based on his own experiences.  _

_ Kurosaki Ranmaru _

_ Appearance: Mostly grey hair but red in the middle. Black eye patch covering his left eye. Dark red neck bandana. Black jacket in a bit poor condition with the right sleeve pulled up to reveal a red wristband. Pale tan slacks in poor condition with a hole below his right knee cap and the bottom half torn off on the left leg. White socks with a blue stripe. Dark red tennis shoes. _

_ A rebellious rocker who lives out in the streets. Purposely calls Camus "Tall Lady". Sometimes visit Reiji's store for some relief, as in ranting on and on about his days. He also is like a guardian for the said place, because he created memories there. He wears an eye patch over his left eye, because he actually has heterochromia. _

_ Mikaze Ai _

_ Appearance: Hair on the left side is tied in a low, short messy ponytail. Lavender purple scarf draped over his shoulders. Light blue shirt with long light pink sleeves, the edge of the sleeves in lavender purple. Brown leather belt. Black long pants. Lavender purple leather soles. _

_ A mysterious boy who secretly watches over you and sometimes appears in Reiji's store after it’s closed for the day. He's shy when trying to approach you unless he needs to. In this AU, he’s not an android or related to Kisaragi Aine, so he can actually have feelings. Also, Aine is around the same age as Reiji while Ai is a decade younger than him. _

_ Camus _

_ Appearance: Hairstyle is more wavy and a bit longer. Light blue fluffy boa. Navy blue trench coat with black leather belt just above his waist. Black slacks tucked under light blue boots. _

_ A rich noble spy often mistaken as a tall lady. Sometimes he tolerates being called one if on accident. Often fights Ranmaru for obvious reasons. Currently resides in a hotel because his own home is in the countryside and he has business to do in the city. _

_ (L/N) (Y/N) _

_ A girl who got lost in the bustling city due to her family not wanting her to live with them anymore. Then, Reiji lets her stay in his store, beginning the whole story. _


	2. Reiji and Ranmaru

_ "If you're not any helpful to us, you can just leave!" _

_ "Live by yourself like a dog! No one wants a useless parasite to live with them!" _

_ "You trash, it's best if you die anyways! No one will care about your existence, because you're worthless!" _

These words kept repeating in my mind as I ran out in the streets, which is slippery and filled with puddles because of the rain. Also, I went outside without anything to shelter me from the heavy weather, so I was wet, cold, and on the verge of getting sick, as I could tell by the coughing and sneezing as my feet pushed off from the ground and lifted a few inches above the pavement.

For two whole decades, I lived with my family who cherished me and gave me gifts the first half but treated me harshly in the second half. During the first ten years, they gave me presents and became somewhat like friends to me. They gave me hugs and kisses, which does sound like a child’s dream, according to what the other children say. However, after I turned 11 years old, they started restricting me and forced me to do everything that will help me get a job that will earn the whole family millions of dollars within a month or two. But seeing other students do what they want to do for their career, I wondered if I could do the same, resulting in heavy punishment from my family, continuing on until I can’t take it anymore and decided to become a NEET instead of taking college. That’s when I was 18 years old.

Two years of even heavier punishment is the result of my decision, which includes not buying me food, taking away my bed and other cleaning essentials, and physically abusing me like kicking, punching, and whipping. It felt painful to live with them, with the constant pressure that I was never good enough in their eyes. They only cared about getting rich from a person who used to be so talented. I wanted to cry so hard, so loud that our neighbors could hear me and help me. I didn’t want this, no one ever wants this! But on this one day, I saw a mysterious boy with teal hair and eyes, wearing a lavender purple scarf, and looking like a shy person, walking towards me, giving me their hand, speaking the words that a true angel would say. “There’s no need to go through all this. Save yourself and leave the pain as soon as possible.”

Believing whatever this strange boy said, I followed what he said and waited for the perfect moment to finally leave my family, but I didn’t expect it to happen on the day it rains...

"You footstool! Where's your work? Oh wait, you don't have work, useless slug!" I felt a stabbing pain towards the back of my head as a family member, whom I don't care about, kicked my head while wearing shoes. In an attempt to finally escape the evil wrath of my so-called family, I stood up on my feet and walked to the door. "Hey, where are you going?!"

I turned around and stared at them with empty eyes. In my croaky voice, I said "I don't care anymore. I'm leaving." Interrupting them from preventing me from leaving, I shut the door right in their faces and ran away as fast as I could. I don't care about my belongings, because my one pair of clothes is all I have after my family threw my other belongings.

Eventually, I came to a stop in front of a sweets shop to catch some breath before quickly searching for a place to live in. I rubbed my back to ease my weak body. It’s been a while since I had this much of a workout after I supposedly graduated in my secondary education. Seriously, the chill running across my skin is what I needed to cool down the heat generated in my body. Then, I felt a soft pat on my shoulder, urging me to look up at the person doing so. This person was unfortunately not the teal-haired person I saw in the past but instead, a brown-haired teenager in a forest green hoodie with an apron over it and wearing...crocs? What’s with his fashion style? He should be wearing tennis shoes or something like that but crocs? It looks like he’s not taking his business seriously. But looking back, I realized he’s from that pastry store I just stopped at.

“What are you doing out here in the rain? Come inside, my girl! It’s not good for a person like you to get soaked!” He said in a concerned tone as he led me inside the building. Why would he even care for a girl who looks worse than a garbage bin? Clearly he does, because he doesn’t seem to mention how bad I look. Also, did he just call me his girl? We haven’t even met before and he’s already calling me as his, which makes me feel pity for him. I’m just going to leave anyways, so it’s not like any of this matters in the distant future. Speaking of which, where should I go after the rain goes away? Maybe I should stay in the alley where no one would disturb me or out of town so none of my family will ever find me.

As I entered the store, I felt warmth hit me and smelled the intensity of coffee brewing. The bright light created a calm and happy setting, contrasting against the dimness of outside, due to the clouds covering up the sky, and I feel a bit tranquil as I took in my surroundings. It’s been a very long time since I felt this wonderful of an environment, so I’m glad I was brought in instead of staying outside. 

“Sit anywhere you want and wait until the rain stops.” The pastry worker said with a bit of giddiness in his voice as he left me alone to do whatever, which means sitting at a table in a far corner, avoiding confrontation with possibly anyone and thinking about where I need to go and what essentials I needed. Of course, I need food and water. I know water is easy to get if I’m near a public park with a fountain, but the food would be hard to get in the city. If I move into the wild, I could hunt for food and drink the water from lakes, but I need new clothes and soap to clean myself. Days or months without cleaning is dangerous and wearing these old ragged clothes is not a pleasure to have.

Then, my thoughts were interrupted with a soft ‘clink’ against the white marble table and I looked up to find the same brunette with the bad feel for the weather outside. Yes, the crocs. I don’t why he kept that smile on his face though. Wait, he’s a worker at this store. He’s supposed to keep that smile to make a good impression on the customers, right? Maybe that’s how he makes money, with smiles. Oh, if life were ever that easy. He awfully reminds me of my childhood when it used to be so happy and carefree. I don’t know why. He’s just a stranger to me.

Looking further, my eyes trailed down to what he put on the table: a cup of hot chocolate. First of all, what? I thought he left me to do my own thing, not go make me a drink or something just to return later with it! I don’t even have money to pay for this! He can just know that by looking at my appearance! Also, why? I didn’t order for a cup of whatever drinks are on the menu, unless he’s trying to tempt me into buying it! “I know you don’t want me to make you a drink, but this is on the house!”

I looked at him in disbelief. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

The brown-haired pastry worker paused a bit as he sat down on the seat opposite of mine. Something tells me he isn’t leaving until he gets what he wants. He kept staring at me, up and down, which I thought he should notice by now. Isn’t that a bit too late? Then, his face brightened up and snapped his fingers. So he finally figured it out. Looks like I’m going back to my family…

“You need a home, don’t you? Why not stay here for a while? I can provide you with a bed and all the other stuff!” Wait, he’s not mad or anything? Is he seriously letting me stay at this store? I mean, it would be a great place to stay in if you’re trying to relax, but...he’s a stranger. How do I trust him?

“How do you know that about me?” I asked just to check where he came to the conclusion that I was a homeless girl. He did not do this on his own if he’s this nice.

“Well, a couple of days ago while I was working here, a cyan-haired boy came to me and asked me if I could handle another person staying at my shop. Conveniently I do because my family is running the other shop across town, so he told me that when a homeless girl with (H/C) hair wearing ragged clothes stops at my store, I should let her in.” Wait, that person sounds familiar. “Cyan-haired boy? The one wearing a lavender scarf?”

“Yeah, that one! How do you know?”

“He told me to go outside a few days ago.”

“Oh. Do you know why he wants us to be here?”   
“No, but he seems to know something that we both don’t.”

“Whatever it is, he doesn’t want you to be concerned about him. I know he cares about your wellbeing, so drink up before it gets cold.” He gestures towards the single mug that’s already on the table. I looked at him again to check he wasn’t joking. “So I can seriously drink this cup without paying?”

“Oh, no! You have to pay for it in some way!”   
  


“Like cash or trade?” I have to make sure there isn’t some crazy catch to paying this drink.

“If you’re not planning to stay here any longer, you have to pay, but if you plan to stay, you can savor the chocolate and you get to live here for free!”

“Free living, huh?” If I chose not to stay with this stranger, I’d be in debt. If I stay, everything is free, but I’ll be staying with a teenager who can handle this whole store by himself. Anyways, I need a place to stay while the rain passes by and staying here seems to do the trick. “Fine, I’ll stay.”

“That’s good to hear! I’ll go and prepare the things for you while you can check the whole place out! Just don’t wake up my best friend!” The brunette said as he went upstairs with the sound of feet hitting the wooden floor. I am now concerned about how open he is to a stranger like me within a few minutes, because that is unhealthy. He’s allowing me to take a look around his supposed home before we even introduce ourselves, which we never got to do. I hope he doesn’t forget or I’ll be forced to listen to him calling me ‘my girl’ while other people are around, and I don’t want him to cause a commotion in the city for being in this strange relationship in which I am totally unprepared for. Gladly, hardly anyone is here during the rainy weather, so everything's fine.

After I finished drinking my mug, I left it in the sink and went to venture around this small building. There’s the kitchen and the bathroom, a separate room from the public bathroom because it has a bathtub and a glass cup with a lonely emerald green toothbrush. Soon, it will probably be accompanied by another toothbrush, my toothbrush. Continuing on, right before I get to the stairs, there's a cute statue of that one teenager plus another person who looks like the teal-haired boy from before, but his hair is loose and wears a V-neck t-shirt. I wondered who could be that person.

Then, I decided to go upstairs, first checking one of the bedrooms. This must be the brown-haired person's bedroom, because it's completely green! No, the walls are white, but the blankets, pillows, curtains, and even the floor is in some form of green! Is that how much he likes that color, aside the hoodie and the crocs? Ignoring his strange obsession towards his favorite clothes, I moved to a room where the door is locked. Must be the room where his best friend is sleeping in. Skipping to the last room, which is probably my room as I saw the chocolate-haired man sorting out clothes that are supposedly mine to wear. Suddenly, I heard the bell ring, which meant a customer just entered. Oh, if he weren't this busy. Being the visitor that I am, I asked him if I could take over his job while he's preparing my room. "Kid, can I have a set of clothes to change into? You have a customer."

He turned to me and gave me an outcry, sounding like I offended him or something and pouting while leaking anime tears. "I'm not a kid! I'm an adult!"

"Well, you look like a teenager, seeing how well you treat your skin." True, his skin is a bit of a light tan in color and looks smooth. Having no resistance to hold back, I walked up to him and brushed my fingers across the beautiful skin, feeling the soft and warm flesh beneath my fingertips. For some reason, his cheeks turn into a cute red like it was stained in strawberry syrup, I assumed.

He stuttered as he handed me a pair of clothes. "H-Here's the clothes, um…"

"(L/N) (Y/N)."

"Right...I'm Kotobuki Reiji, but you can call me Rei-chan!" How childish. He doesn't even know he's referring to himself as a girl. I'm just going to call him 'Reiji-san', just to save myself from laughter in the future. I nodded to him as I took the clothes and went to the bathroom I saw earlier to change into them. To be honest, they don't look as bad as I expected them to be. What am I saying? They don't look torn up and old like the clothes I had been wearing, but I'm not going to question the (f/c) crocs he gave me. It's best to go ahead and deal with his customers than complain to him straight off the hook. I found a spare hairbrush in one of the drawers and brushed my hair to look a bit presentable. Then, I cleaned my face and applied a bit of makeup on for the same reason before looking at the mirror and admiring the reflection in front of me. Doesn't hurt to look at least appealing, right?

After a bit of magic in the bathroom, I walked out, prepared to receive the customer's orders like I learned in my past visits. Seeing a person standing on their side of the counter, I was surprised there was a silver-haired edgy person going here to buy desserts. Looking from head to toe, he kinda wears the same clothes as me before I changed with the torn up pants, but he wore a jet black jacket with a dark red bandana around his collar. I am even surprised he hasn't gotten soaked from the ongoing rain outside. But I don't get why he's wearing an eye patch over his left eye. It's not Halloween yet and he's not acting like a pirate, hopefully. "So, what do you want to order today?"

"Oi, where's the owner?" His voice is gruff and low, matching with his looks and probably his personality. Wait, why is he asking for Reiji-san? "He's currently busy at this point. Why?"

"Tch. Ain’t ya business to know." He simply waved it off like it's no big deal, which I'll leave it at that. Reiji and I just met, so it's not like we're friends that quickly. "Let me get him first." I said as I walked to the stairs and yelled out "Reiji-san, a customer is here to see you!"

After I called his name, I heard a few crashes followed by a few thumps plus a heavy one, which signifies that he fell onto his (hahaha) bottom. "Ah, one minute!" He replied and I turned to the spike-head and said he'll be here in a moment, him nodding as I stood off to the side. Later, Reiji walked down the stairs and turned to the counter to reveal his widened hazel eyes. "Ran-Ran! You're still alive!"

The taller man scoffed. "It's just a normal fight, and don't call me that." Wait, he's been in a fight? That describes the state of his clothing. Unlike him, who's even with the person he's fighting against, my family abused me, not letting me revolt. I feel jealous of him as I continued to listen in on their conversation. "So who's got your tongue today?"

"There's this tall lady who's taller than me by a centi or two. She looks like New York." A tall lady that is taller than this rocker by about two centimeters. That's nonsense. Did he hit his head or something? Or doesn't he notice that the lady is wearing no less than 1 foot heels?

The brunette gasped as he probably thought the same thing as me. "A tall lady? How's that possible?"

"I don't know, but probs she's mad at me."

"Ran-Ran! You're not going to have a girlfriend if you act like that!"

"Whaddya expect from a person who lives out in the streets and plays rock? And what did I say about calling me that name?"

"Why won't you accept that you like the nickname?"

"Tch. Just get me the usual." Nodding, Reiji went to the kitchen to make whatever the silver hair usually buys. "Reiji, who's the new girl working here? Never seen her."

"She's (Y/N)! Long story short, the young boy asked me to take care of her since she has no home."

"What happened?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Both males looked at me with the determination to get an answer out of me. Guess they wanted to know that badly. Sighing while preparing to leave as soon as possible, I said "I left my family's home after they abused me for not getting them rich. I wanted to do something on my own but they're forcing me against my own will."

Receiving silence in the end, I held my head down and mumbled out "Sorry for wasting your time and money. I'll just leave." I took the apron off and began leaving, but a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back inside. "Hey, what's the big deal?!"

"Why are you leaving? We're not mad at you!"

"That's true. Even if you let your family down, it ain’t right to abuse someone just to get them to do whatever the ‘buser wants. You should be able to stand up for yourself and fight for the righteous." The rocker held my right shoulder tightly, reassuring me for some reason.

"I don't even know what's right…"

"That isn't good!”

“They deserve hell if that's the case."

"Hey, everything's fine! I'll find a way to cut off my connections with them and I'm now living here, so everything's okay!  **Stop acting like you care!** ”

Realizing I just yelled the last part out, I covered my hands over my mouth as the two of them looked at me shocked. Oh, no. This is probably the part that they’ll hate me and kick me out. Preparing for the shouting ahead of me, I looked at the floor again, but this time, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders and a certain weight add on to my back, causing me to look up and find Reiji hugging me while the rocker smirked at me and crossing his arms. “(Y/N)-chan, it’s okay. You’re living with us now. You’re part of our family!”

“Even if you say we shouldn't care about you, we still got ya’ back, so you ain’t runnin’ away without a fight.”

Hearing two strangers be this way about me, even if I know them for a few minutes, is heartwarming, so much that I didn't notice I was hugging the brunette back until I felt the hug grew tighter, like he's giving me a death hug. When I realized I was suffocating, I looked at the grey hair and gave him a 'please save me' look, which took a moment for him to realize, so he divided us both with his muscular arms. "Okay, okay. Enough of the sappy stuff and get to work. You haven't finished my order."

"Order? When did Ran-Ran order-"

"Reiji-san, something's burning in the kitchen." I sniffed the air and became sure I wasn't lying. Even the spiky hair noticed as Reiji made a terrified facial expression with widening eyes.

"Oh, no! Ran-Ran's food!" Quickly, he ran to the kitchen to deal with the burning food as both me and the other person chuckled. And before I forget, I asked the rocker for his name, making him perk up to me with a questioning look before smirking. “The name’s Kurosaki Ranmaru. Nice talking to ya.” He then ignored me for the rest of our time together before the pastry shop owner returned with his order, which I didn’t care much about.

Guess I’m off to a great start in my new life.


	3. Reiji x Ranmaru: A Requested Collab

After Ranmaru left the store with a satisfied stomach, he checked his online account to look through a bunch of comments his fans gave him, but one simply catches his eyes.

_ "Can you write a song for that one person who owns a pastry shop to sing? I see you two hang out almost every day." _

"Well, aren't they a stalker..." He scoffed as he typed a reply to the sender. "Wait, I don't know if Reiji can sing. Can he?"

Adding a few more words, he sent the message that he's not sure he can sing but he will try and quickly searched for his guitar in one of the alleyways. There, he began playing whatever songs are on his mind and recorded the first part of those songs, which takes about a couple of hours, bringing the night into the city. Though, when he got to listening to them again, he had a hard time deciding which song would the brunette like.

Over the years they have been friends, the rocker sees him as a childish yet calm person. He has been the best listener and person to come to for stories, but he's annoying when it comes to nicknames. However, he seems to get used to his antics and he doesn't know why, which is really frustrating.

Even if they're friends, he doesn't know if the older man can sing or not, and if he can't, he can just sing the song himself. Anyways, he can't disappoint his fans or lose this opportunity to find out why he's being all soft on the happy-go-lucky man.

Once he found the perfect tune for the pastry shop owner, he decided to take a well-deserved rest. He is like a cat after all and has been living in poor conditions. The next day, he came to the pastry store, surprising the brunette and (h/c) at work. He gave a simple wave to you as he walked over to Reiji, gaining enough confidence to not break easily. “Reiji, do you have time to speak in private?”

“Sure, Ran-Ran! (Y/N)-chan, handle the rest of the customers’ orders!”

“Got it!” You saluted as the older followed the rocker into the streets.

“Okay, spill the beans so I can get back to work! Having a girl work all by herself is rude, you know!” He said gleefully as he shifted his feet back and forth with that signature smile of his. “You gotta be so childish”, he thought, clenching his teeth before finally regaining composure. “I have...made a song for you...to sing.” He said as he looked at the ground. He swore to God that he felt his ears and cheeks go warm as silence grew between them until the brunette giggles, covering his probably blushing face.

“Aww! That’s so cute of you, Ran-Ran, even if you don’t know that I can sing!”

“I am not cute! Now, I’m starting to regret giving you this song…” Well, at least he knows he can sing.

“Don’t feel bad! You never showed me your songs, so I feel so good having to sing a song you make!”

“Well, hope you’re happy. I expect a song sung by you as soon as possible.”

“I won’t let you down! And…” He stepped closer and stood on his tippy toes, bringing his lips mere centimeters to his ear. “Thank you, Ran-Ran.~”

Reiji skipped back into the store with the song eventually on his phone as the grey hair walked back into the alley way, covering his tomato red face with his arms. “Son of a gun …”


	4. Ai and Camus

After the rain stopped and Reiji closed the store for the day once he’s done with the last customer’s order, he cooked us dinner, but I don’t know why he made a third plate. Oh, right. His best friend also lives here with us. “Excuse me for a bit. I must hand this to my best friend.” Yep, guessed it. He carried the extra plate up the stairs, leaving me to wait for him. To me, it’s rude to eat first when the other person is not at the table.

While I was waiting, I saw a familiar person standing outside, looking through the window. Kinda creepy, right? “Sorry, sir. The store’s closed for the day.”

He looks at me sadly, like he’s about to cry right in front of me, expecting me to notice something. I looked at him carefully. Wait, he looks exactly like that cyan-haired person wearing a light purple scarf that was draped over his shoulders. Or maybe HE IS. “Wait! Don’t leave!” In sudden realization, I leapt off from my seat, sticking the landing, ran to the door, and unlocked the door to let the poor child in. I feel so bad now…

“Thanks…” He shyly mumbled as he found a seat in the building and sat in it.

“You’re welcome!” I said as I sat at the table with two plates on it. Though, he doesn’t speak at all after that. He’s not a talker, is he? “So what brings you here?” I asked kindly, but he didn’t reply. Silence. So that’s how it is. “You can just leave if you have no business here.”

“I want to talk to the pastry shop owner.” He said suddenly. Well, isn't today Reiji-san's lucky day?

"Okay, I'm back! Let's eat din...ner?" Just in time, he came down the stairs and abruptly stopped when he saw the teal-fluff here. "I-I-I-It's-"

"Yeah, I know. He wants to talk to you."

"I wonder what he wants from me..." I heard him mumble as he walked to the tealette. For about a minute or two, I didn’t hear what they were talking about in the empty shop as I took a plate of food and ate whatever was on it. Though, I was surprised how well he cooked other kinds of foods other than dessert. Soon, the brunette returned to the table and ate his dinner. I looked up to check if the cyan-haired person was still there, but he disappeared.

“Who is that person you were talking to?”

“Oh! His name is Mikaze Ai! His first name sounds a lot like my best friend’s first name, Aine!”

“They both seem very similar in looks and the names.”

“You’re right! Anyways, he’s glad you’re staying here, but he doesn’t tell me why due to him being a shy person. He’s such an adorable person to hang out with!”

“But I wanted to talk to him. He led us here, you know?”

“I know, but you should give him some time to slowly open up to you. He is shy after all.”

“You’re right, but I wish he wasn’t so shy.” Reiji-san nodded as we both returned to finish eating our food and cleaning the dishes in the sink, which doesn’t take for at least a few minutes before we go straight to our bedrooms and sleep.

I thought I would end up waking up the next morning like usual, but I was wrong. Somewhere around midnight, I heard loud gunshots out in the streets, causing me to wake up. Quickly, I got off of the bed and opened the window to check what’s going on outside to find a mess of long pale blond hair flowing against the wind. To be honest, it still remains graceful in its steps despite the breeze until it stopped to look at me in the eyes with its ice blue orbs. That’s the only thing I can see in the dark because I can’t tell if it’s a woman or a man.

For some reason, its eyes looked at me with curiosity, but because it didn’t have much time to stand here, it checked the place I was living in and quickly ran away from the people that are assaulting it, which is a group of gang members. Gladly, I silently shut my window before they caught me, so I was safe for now. I returned to my bed and closed my eyes, trying to forget what had just happened as the darkness crept into my vision.

The next day, we both went to work, this time with me actually working at the cafe by taking the orders of other people. This time, I didn’t mind the rocker coming into the building just to talk to the brunette, but I made sure to greet him before proceeding on with collecting the customer’s orders and making the food they asked for. Though, I wish they would hurry up with whatever they’re doing, because I don’t know how to cook some of these complex foods like chocolate soufflé, crème brûlée, and macarons. “Please come back to work, Reiji. I don’t know how to cook any of these,” I thought as I made the easier desserts.

Soon, he returned into the building, hugging his phone to his chest as he set it down on the dinner table in the back and returned to work. At the same time, I saw a rich-looking person walking into the shop, wearing a long woolly white coat, a light blue fluffy boa, clean white slacks, and a pair of shiny white dress shoes, though his hair and eyes seem similar to last night’s. When my friend saw the same thing, his jaw literally dropped as he let an empty plate slipped through his fingers to shatter against the tiled floor. Looks like another chore to do. “Is this the right place to buy some desserts? I’m looking for something especially delectable to the sugary taste.”

The fancy-looking customer stepped up to the counter, eyes sparkling at the huge menu of sweets and drinks that go with it. “Um, Reiji. Order.”

“Oh, um, right!” He scurried to the counter as he somehow slipped a few times yet managed to not break anything. I sighed as I got a broom out and swept up the sharp pieces of the plate he dropped, catching his interesting reactions as he wrote down the order on his notepad. When he finished taking the noble’s order, he ran to me, gripped on both of my shoulders, and like he’s trying to drain his excitement, shook me back and forth into dizziness. “OMG!!! THIS ORDER’S GOING TO GET US RICH!!! HE WANTS EVERYTHING TO BE EXACT!!!” So it’s a man and not the other way around.

“Reiji, stop shaking me! I’m getting a headache!” I shouted at him, causing him to let go of me. “Sorry, (Y/N)-chan! I’m just so excited! We could finally free you from your abusive family! You could finally find a new life! I can finally take Aine to a doctor for a checkup!” The last one seems awfully suspicious. “When did your best friend go for a checkup last time?”

“I...oh...I don’t remember.”

“Can I see him?”

“Maybe when he wakes up.” I nodded as he went to the kitchen to create whatever fancy dessert this rich customer asked for.

Eventually, he returned with a simple looking cake on a small plate. I thought he wanted something sweet, not something so plain, so I gave him this “really” look while crossing my arms, which made him look back at me like he doesn’t know something. “Why are you giving that look? Did I do something wrong?”

“He wants something very sweet. Do you expect him to give you tons of money if you give him something so plain?”

“I don’t know! He doesn’t specify which kind of dessert he wants!”

“That’s not how you should do it, though! Here, let me handle this!” I went to the kitchen and searched through the cookbook for facts about sweetness.

I found the dessert our customer may want, the Molten Chocolate Cake, so I decided to make four: one for me, one for the noble, one for Reiji, and one extra. Once I finally put the finishing touches on the cake of chocolatey goodness, set on a fine dish, I carried one plate to the table where the pale blond is sitting patiently, sitting in the seat in front of him. Like he read my thoughts, Reiji came over with a cup of tea and set it at the table, leaving us both alone as he let us converse for a bit.

“So? What’s your name?”

“Camus.”

“Where’s your last name?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh.” I let him take a bite of the cake I made, watching his reactions switch from calm to slightly surprised. That’s only by the eyes though. He barely flinched when the chocolate and sugar hit his taste buds, but he froze on the spot. It took a moment for him to finally break out of his trance, finally accepting the scrumptious taste along with the tea, of course. “What about you?”

“What?”

“Your name, madam.”

“Oh. It’s (L/N) (Y/N).”

“Thank you for this flavorful treat. I will come back to get some more in the distant future.”

“Y-You’re welcome.” I stuttered and shifted my weight as the noble gave me a charming closed-eye smile before he daintily wipes his mouth off with a napkin and standing up to fix his attire.

Though, this slightly awkward atmosphere ended when a certain rocker entered the pastry shop. “Oi, Tall Lady!” For the love of everything holy. He glared at the rich blonde as he stomped up to him, making a scene in front of the other customers who are starting to fear about the event that’s going to happen. As if he expected it, the wealthy aristocrat sighed out and his personality quickly changed into that of an ice cube as his frown became more prominent and his brows furrowed. “Oh, it’s you again.”

“Wait, what?!” Me and Reiji shouted at the same time in pure shock as we looked between the taller men. “So this is who Ran-Ran described…”

“If you’re going to bring these people into bankruptcy, you have to go through me first!!”

“What nonsense are you blabbering about?! It is you who will bring this place down with your inappropriate attitude!!”

“It is you to show up at a place fit for the hardworking people!! You’re like a person who’s too lazy and decides to come here to beat us up!!”

“You’re a coward who doesn’t deserve the respect of those stronger than the government!!”

“Tall Lady!!”

“Incapable Hooligan!!”

“Shut up, you two!!” I shouted as I slid in between them and pushed them away from each other, making them stumble on their heels. “What’s with you two today?! None of us asked for this!! Ranmaru, Camus will not put us in bankruptcy and Camus, Ranmaru is just protective of us!! Now, split up or no one will survive!!”

“(Y/N)-chan’s right! We’re her new home after she leaves her abusive family and if she is to lose this place, she’ll suffer on her own! That’s why she tried her best to make a dessert that appeals to your senses!” I turned around to find Reiji standing beside me, making me feel reassured that this is the right choice I should make.

The rocker and the noble took a step back being in a state of surprise while they looked between the two of us. Ranmaru looked down in disappointment and Camus just shook his head. Well, at least they’re no longer bickering about every small thing that could be discussed outside the warm peaceful environment of the store. “Here’s the payment for the treat. Though, I’m surprised a peasant like you can make the savory food an aristocrat like me would eat. Now, I have business to attend to.”

“Wait, I’m no-”

“Do you want me to take the money as well?”

“No…”

“Good.”

The blonde left a credit card with a decent amount of money on the table, no longer bugging the spike hair as he stepped out of the building, and the other person ‘tched’ and departed as well, leaving me stunned for a few minutes until someone tapped on my shoulder, causing me to dart and head back to work. Aside from that incident, everything went well. We earned a lot of money, thanks to the wealthy man earlier. Also, that shy person from last time returned, this time asking to join us in eating the remaining servings of molten chocolate lava cake I made. How did he know I made an extra? Nevermind, he’s more mysterious than I imagined, but I don’t know why he decides to sit with us at the dinner table. He’s just going to stay silent the whole time while munching on the said dessert.

“So now that we have a lot of money to actually care for our health, we should spend it on Aine!”

“Who’s this ‘Aine’ person? I know he’s your best friend and everything, but isn’t seeing believing? I would believe it if I actually see him.” Me and the tealette squinted our eyes in suspicion at the brown-haired male.

“Oh, right…” He rubbed the back of his neck and he tucked his head a bit lower. “I’ll lead you to his room, but just keep a certain distance from him because he might have...coughing issues.” Both of us nodded as we all went upstairs, the boy looking around the place in childish wonder. Soon, we were standing in front of the door that was locked when I took a tour around the building. Finally, I get to see what’s behind this wooden barrier.

Slowly, the brunette rattled the metal door handle, eventually unlocking it, or was it considered stuck, noticing that he didn’t use a key. Should have known. I was able to go through almost all the doors in this pastry shop. As we entered into the...what is this smell??? It smells a bit musty, like the home I used to live in. It reeks a strong scent of blood, combined with a stench that goes beyond what a garbage can hold. Even Ai noticed and he tried his best to not show any signs of disgust. As we walked closer to the center of the room, we saw how dead it looked. No color other than grey, no decorations, or no furniture other than a bed and a drawer. Then, we stood in front of the mattress where a heap lies under plenty of layers of blankets. Speaking of the heap...

“You two, this is my best friend, Kisaragi Aine.”

...What?


	5. Ranmaru x Camus: The Incidental Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I came to creating this whole fanfiction, I was aiming to have my one of my OTPs (which is what this chapter is centered around) to end up like some cute argument between the two of them about the simple things in life, but I knew it could only end up as filler if I wanted to end this story with a new life and a happy quintet, and hopefully, it’ll satisfy the both of them along with you readers as we move on to talk about Aine.

“Tch. I can’t believe that son of a gun, thinking I’m the problem. I only want to protect those three from losing their only home. That idiot can’t last long just working hard like this.” The rocker grumbled as he left the pastry shop with the feeling of defeat adding to his daily schedule, even though (Y/N) ended their fight in a stalemate. But something doesn’t feel right as he usually feels no sorrow on behalf of his actions, which is why he often gets into fights with other people. Though, he wasn’t sure what, and he’s adding this “something new” to the list of things he will find out, but as normal, he waits until it comes to him. Even if he’s seen as rough, touch and a delinquent of the streets with the heart of a rocker, he’s not impatient. He accepts the way things naturally occur.

But as things may seem, he might have to do some other activities before he discovers why he’s feeling this way. Just in time, another person punched through the ground. “Hey, are you Kurosaki, the famed bruiser?”

“What if I am?”

“Then, we’ll have a fair battle, just you-” Swiftly, the spiky-haired gave a blow to the other person in the stomach, causing him to bend forward as he finally elbowed him straight to the ground and stomped his foot onto his spine. “Tch. You’re no fun. You’re just like those other thugs. Let me quickly end you just so that I can leave.”

Concluding this short combat, he kicked the school into the rocky concrete, knocking him unconscious. “So this is what you do for business. How many people have you defeated in a row?”  _ That voice!  _ Ranmaru abruptly turned his head at the sound to find the count he was arguing with earlier, wearing more casual clothes but it still makes him look feminine.  _ How is that possible if we just fought minutes ago?  _ “What are you here for, spoiled brat?!”

“I would gladly answer that question if you would not call me by such a name.”

“You-” Before he attempts to assault him, Camus brought out his sniper rifle from behind and aims it at him, making him stop.  _ What the hell?! Where was he able to hide a big gun like that?!  _ “Think about your decisions. Do you think you can win against a person with a gun?”

“Dammit. Be glad that guy is mind dead for a while.” The spiky-haired man said as the other person put up his gun.

“I wouldn’t worry that much. Anyways, I apologize for that quarrel we had earlier.”

“So  _ now _ you’re sorry?! What a drag! I’d rather wrestle against 20 people than listen to you being a sap about what has already happened!”

“Then, what do you suggest? You know we both don’t have all day.”

“How about we both forgive each other with a date?” Okay, this is unexpected. _Who on earth thought of this stupid idea?_ _Might as well find a way to escape._

“Are you insane?”  _ Welp. I’m done. Better work with that idiot named Reiji and that girl named (Y/N) because talking to the tall lady here is killing me. _

“I-I mean, I’m only taking you to a fair.”  _ Don’t make it worse by stuttering, goddammit! _

Ignoring the extreme nervous breakdown that the rocker’s facing, the count sighed. “Fine, but I’m paying for it because you look like a person incapable of wealth.”

“Excuse me?! Is that an insult, Tall Lady?!”

“You two, I can hear your shouting from inside of my shop. Can you at least move somewhere else so that none of our customers are avoiding?” They were so trapped in their second argument that they didn’t realize that Reiji heard them through the brick wall and the wallpaper.

“Come on, let’s go  _ somewhere else _ .” The rich blonde began to haul the other male away from the brunette, who was waving at them as they left. “Bye, Ran-Ran! Have a good time!”  _ That idiot… _

Eventually, they reached a park where children could be seen laughing, balloons floating in the air, and groups of people going to each stand for food or prizes.  _ Wait, is he being serious?  _ “We’re here.”  _ And so he is. _ “Where should we go first?”

“Hmm…”

“Really? The teacups? I thought you would choose something like gun shooting or ball throwing.” The aristocrat said as the other male gets into a random spinning teacup. “Well, you shouldn't have brought us here in the first place!”

“Your fault for bringing up the idea for an apology date! You could have only accepted my reparation!”

“Just get in!”

Once everyone is settled, a simple music begins to play, causing the cups to spin while orbiting around the center. Although this seems fun to children and couples attempting this ride, the two men were giving each other a staring contest.  _ Man, if stares could kill. _ Interrupting the long period of glaring and silence between them, an elderly couple called on them, startling them both from their “I’m angry at you” trance. “You two! How are you young people doing?”

“We’re doing fine, madam. Just a small feud between us.”

“You both should enjoy your date and live happily! Us older people have less time to cherish our lives!”

“Uh, thanks..?” The noble said awkwardly as his eyes looked somewhere else other than the person who’s sitting in front of him, feeling the warmth creeping up his face.  _ They must have mistaken us as a couple _ , the rocker thought as they continued spinning in circles.

“So what’s next?” He said as they both went off the ride.

“Since you decided to torture us with  _ this _ , let’s go to a merry-go-round!” The other sarcastically replied.

“Oi, don’t take it literally! I thought you’d like these kinds of rides!”

“No, I don’t! What do you expect from a spy like me?!”

“A spy?! What crap are you talking about?!”

“Did you not notice I am rich and have a sniper rifle behind my back?!”

“Well, I thought you were born as a millionaire and decided to show off by carrying a huge gun with you!”

“Did you hear gunshots last night?! That was me!”  _ Gunshots? He sounds like he’s not kidding around. What am I talking about? He doesn’t kid around.  _ “Oh.”

“Is that the famous rocker, Ranmaru?!”

“OMG, you’re right!”

“Ranmaru, you rocking soul!” The two of them turned to find that there’s a herd of fans hurdling at them. “Oh shoot. We’re spotted.”

“You should have changed your looks before we went out.”

“What are you talking about?! You dragged us out here! There’s no time! Here!” Suddenly, the aristocratic blonde was swept off his feet and lifted in the air like a princess getting carried by a prince. “Oi! Put me down, you hippopotamus! I can run just fine!”

“Well, you take too long!” The rocker shouted back, making the other person childishly pout, crossing his arms as he quickly searched for an acceptable hiding spot. When he did, he swiftly took off his jacket to cover the other male. “Stay here and don’t do anything. I’ll be back.” He whispered and left to deal with the fans as Camus simply scoffed and sat there.

“Come on, let's get going. The night is dangerous.”

“You tell me. I’m more active at night.” The baron rebutted as they walked around the park in the deep orange hue of the setting sun.

“Is that you being a spy or are you inviting me to your room?”

“What do you expect? I’m not inviting anyone because my house is far into the countryside and I’d only use it for emergencies. This is not one of them.”

“Worth a try. I can’t believe I’m getting along with the count with just an apologetic date.”

“Don’t call this a date. This is just us trying to forgive each other for our trespasses.”

“But you don’t understand how much I wanted to hang out with you.”

“What?” The blonde looked at the rocker like he had lost his mind.  _ Snap. Did I say that out loud? _

“I’m getting sick of this feeling in my chest like I did something wrong. It’s not normal for me after arguments and I hate it so damn much, but I feel better now that I have spent some time with you. I don’t know why.” This made him very disturbed about this strange feeling that this peasant is explaining to him.

“We both know you have fans and I am a spy. Conflict will clash if we run the risk of being caught, so it’s best if you ignore the feeling.” He replied as he returned the jacket to the rocker.

“Are you saying that you feel the same way?”

“You decide that for yourself. For now, it’s forbidden. Pretend this never happened between us.” 

Coldly, the baron walked away from the stunned man, casting a dark silhouette on him as he stepped into the shimmering sunset. Ranmaru chuckled as he went back to his “home” in the slums, where his guitar sits with the rest of his recording stuff, a tub of renewable rain water (he knows how to stay sanitary every week while saving his resources), a pair of pants (because he’s not going to take off his current pair and clean them without a bit of decency, and Reiji told him so), and a sleeping bag that he washes during his free time. He smirked to himself as he created some ideas for a song.  _ He may be an ice block but he’s cool in a way that I admired. _


	6. Aine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! This is a very long chapter because the reader needs to bond with Aine before considering this a turn in time! Prepare for the majority of the chapter to be circled around a teary Reiji and a sick Aine!

“You two, meet my best friend, Aine.” The brunette introduced me to the mound on the bed. I hope he’s kidding about the hill being his best friend. If so, I might consider him delirious. “Aine! Get out from under the blankets! We have people here! Don’t be a hermit crab!” He wailed as he began tugging at the sheets, tripping every time he failed to while we wait questionably from the sidelines. Well, he did say to keep a certain distance away from him.

Eventually, he was able to reveal the face of the person we were supposed to meet. Kisaragi Aine. He looks a lot like the boy standing beside me, with the slightly messy cyan hair and cyan eyes and soft porcelain-like light peach skin, but his hair is not tied off to the side, which adds on to his untidy look, like the statue I saw before. Mentioning this, the two look alikes stared at each other for a good minute before Reiji jumps in. “Shocked? Yeah, I noticed, but he’s not related to you in any way. I can prove it!” And before he does anything crazy on the poor angel, his best friend stopped him from doing so. “You don’t have to do it.

He started coughing very harshly, like something’s very stuck in his throat. “Aine! Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a cough.”

“You said that for the past few months! Are you sure you don’t need to go to the doctor’s office? We have enough money now!”

“I’m sure. I think my throat is getting stuffy because of the room.”

“What do you mean? It looks fine!” But both of us shook our heads in disappointment. “Reiji, it smells in here and the room isn’t that tidy.” I pointed to a convenient clump of clothes in one corner of the room. “Oh.”

“And besides,  _ I don’t want anyone to suffer because of me. _ ” What?

“Don’t worry! Now that’s there more than just the two of us, we can have more fun! Right, (Y/N)-chan?”

“Right.”

I seriously hope he gets better soon. Him not having a checkup in quite a long time is going to be a problem if some mysterious symptoms start to show up, like coughing. As promised, we began to hang out with Aine more. He and Ai learned things about each other, even though they and I found it disturbing to talking to someone who looks like you but isn’t related to you. It’s quite awkward, still they get over it.

“You know, you’re a nice person to talk to, even when you’re more shy than I am.”

“Same, though you’re more talkative and outgoing like Reiji. I don’t get why you’re not feeling any better.”

“It’s just... _ a condition I can’t escape from, no matter what I do. _ ” Okay, what’s with the talk? These words are like my thoughts when I was still living with my not-so-good family. Is Aine like me? Is he trying to survive but can’t do much about it? What is he escaping from? These questions kept pondering in my head as I stayed with him longer.

Now for Ranmaru, he already met Aine, as Reiji told me, so him returning to knowing him more is something a bit casual. “Kid, what’s up? Long time no see. How’re you doin’?”

“Doing finely, Maru-san.” This nickname caused the grey-haired rocker to sigh. “Did that squirrel infect you with nickname-itis?”

“If you consider the squirrel as my best friend, then yes, but why won’t you call him an acorn?”

“Thanks for the advice. Acorn is the perfect name for his height. I’ll remember that.”

“Aww~ Why do you two have to be so mean to me?~ I did nothing wrong!” The brunette pouted, his back slouching forward. His childishness…

“You keep calling me ‘Ran-Ran’ and infected your best friend here.” Ranmaru replied bluntly, trying to act like the said person when saying the nickname, which caused the chestnut-haired man to whine and meekly punch him in retaliation, doing mere harm to the taller man.

“Hahahahaha! You guys make me laugh!”

“Really?” He said, facing me with puppy dog eyes and a very...cute smile, making me feel all fluttery inside. “I-I guess so.”

But Camus...he only visits the store for the molten chocolate lava cake, nothing else, so we had to carry Aine over to one of the tables in the lot, and I had to be there to accompany them both, because for some reason, he can’t walk. I don’t know what has caused him to be in this state, but I don’t have access to the network, basically because I don’t have a phone or any electronic device. When the count first saw Aine, he just simply scoffed, but no chat from him. That lasted for a couple of days at least. Then, something brought interest to the table. “Whoa! It looks yummy! What is that and who made it?”

“The best thing I ever ate, which is made by (L/N) here.”

“Accurately, it is a molten chocolate cake and thank you for the compliment.” At this, the tealette looked at me. “Can you make two? One for me, one for you, so that we all match!”

“This is nonsense.” I heard the cold face mutter as I went to make two more sweets.

Soon, I came back to the table with two plates, but as I walked to them, I accidentally slipped on my feet and trampled onto the ground. Aine was able to save one of the plates but due to my poor reflexes the other plate hit the ground, being cushioned by the dessert that it carried.  _ Looks like I have to make another one. _

“Oh no! We save one, but what are we going to do with the other one?”

“I’ll clean it up and make another one. It’s not a big deal.”

“I repeat, this is nonsense.” The count reiterated how annoyed he’s getting. “You don’t have to do the last part. You can share with me.”

“Wait, what?!”

“You heard me. Clean the floor and come back here.”  _ Well, you don’t have to restate that in a rude way _ , I thought as I reluctantly got some janitor supplies, pick up the pieces of cake, and throw it in the trash.

When I finished doing so and washed my hands, I returned to my seat as he commanded. “Should I get a spoon or-”

“Shut up and open your mouth.” The count scooped a piece of the chocolate lava cake and put the spoon in front of my mouth, which led me to unconsciously take it in, tasting the chocolate sugary substance combined with...wait, is that the spoon Camus used to eat with?! After I was done swallowing the food, I looked up to find the icy-blue-eyed man smugly smiling at me while he went back to finish what was on his dish. _Oh. He so knew that, yet he somehow sneaked this movement without me acknowledging the fact that this is an indirect kiss._ _Why did he just gave me that? He has shown no clear affection towards me._

“Don’t stare at me, peasant, and talk to the idiot sitting beside me.”  _ Way to ruin a possible bonding moment. _ I peered at the tealette who has been observing the event before him. “(Y/N)-chan, that’s so adorable! I should bring you to conversations more often!”

“Wait, I didn’t ask for this!” Aine began dragging the poor me away from the table as I quickly stuttered a “bye” to the count.

For a couple of weeks, things went on like that: Ai and Aine learning about each other more, Reiji constantly being bullied by Ranmaru and Aine, and Aine forcing me to bribe Camus into speaking, which usually doesn’t work out well and ends up with me being a flustered mess. I didn’t think Camus had the will to actively tease me either for being poor, which he is mean, or being dumb, which is somehow flattering in terms of sweet romantic moments. I feel very confused now.

On a personal basis, I also get to know Reiji’s best friend, plus his long history with the brunette.

“(Y/N)-chan? Do you know how long me and Aine have been besties?”

“Like a year or less? You seem like the type of person who’d work well with anyone.”

“Really? Gosh, that’s so kind of you, but not the answer I was looking for! Me and Aine have been besties for at least two decades!” I looked at him, shocked that they can last this long together. Well, they have been living together for a while and Ranmaru already knew them both. “For Ran-Ran, I met him about less than a decade when he used to have a comfortable home. He looks very different then and now.”

“What does he look like?”

“Before, he was more neat, and he didn’t dye his hair gray and red. He wore glasses but didn’t cover up his other eye, and that’s when people know he has heterochromia.”

“He has heterochromia?!”

“Yes, which is the reason why he wasn’t able to apply to college, based on his looks. And that’s how he became today. No family and no comfortable home, kinda like you.”

“Kinda like me…” I muttered to myself as the brunette went back to cleaning the dishes.

“Anyways, Aine and I have been together since our childhood, and I’ve been taking caring for him since our families left us. But at a certain period of time, I see him coughing frequently, but he said to wave it off, as something has been stuck in his throat or the room smells, so I obeyed him like the good friend I am and made sure he gets enough food.”  _ He has a bunch of reasons for coughing, and that seems suspicious. Reiji also didn’t mention anything about him taking a bath.  _ Then, this deep negative feeling in my guts grew, fearing about the future. “Wait, did he take a bath?”

“I don’t remember the last time.”  _ As expected. _

“Is there any physical signs other than coughing?”

“He doesn’t eat as much as he should, he sometimes sleep over two days, and he keeps breathing heavily when he sleeps.”

“That doesn’t sound normal! Quick! Go check on him!”

At my command, he ran upstairs in worry, followed by the thumping of the floor above me and the opening of the door. I started to feel and hear my fast-paced heartbeats in my chest, feeling quite uneasy and tense as I stood up, and out of nowhere, I heard the brunette screamed his best friend’s name in agony. “AINE!!!” Panicking, I stumbled up the stairs and shoved the door wide open in hopes that it isn’t what I think it is, but hearing the pastry shop owner sobbing beside the bed opposed those thoughts.

“Reiji, what happened?” I stood there frozen as a cold and dead feeling spread across my body, causing me to tremble at the sight in front. There, I saw Reiji turning his head to me with tears trailing down his cheeks as he knelt in front of a messy bed where Aine is laying in. I first assumed he was sleeping, but I noticed how his chest is not heaving at all, how he had stopped that continuous coughing, how his skin was once warm but turned pale white, how he no longer acknowledges Reiji’s presence in the room. I see why it smells awful in here before.

Instinctively, I came over to him and went to my knees beside him, trying every effort to comfort him, including hugging, so I circled my arms around his body, reaching his upper spine to pat or rub his back. However, I didn’t expect this happy person to sob  _ hard  _ into my shoulder. Like really hard. I could feel his nails digging into my back through a layer of clothes. I mean, I can’t blame him. If someone I loved died, I’d cry too, but not _ this  _ intensely. I don’t have someone to care for or care for me untilI began living here, so seeing him in this state is a struggle for me to deal with and all I can do is hug him back. “No...this can’t be happening...Aine...he can’t be...This has to be fake, right?”

“Reiji…I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault. I should have got him to the doctor for a quick checkup, despite him saying I don’t need to.”  _ What is he doing? No one should blame themselves for something they haven’t done! _ Hearing more of his nonsense, I clung onto the back of his emerald green hoodie in desperation. “This is...wrong! You haven’t done anything to deserve this! No one...nobody deserves to suffer like this! We didn’t know Aine’s death was coming this soon!”

“But I could have done something...I could have been there for him...I could have made every attempt to keep him alive…” At this point, he began to mutter, followed by some sniffling as I could feel him trembling above me and his tears trailing down to meet the prominent wet spot on my shirt. Leaving him be, I grabbed his phone and called the medical emergency.

A few minutes later, they took Aine away from us, away from the whining Reiji, who kept clinging onto him, afraid we’ll lose him for good. “Sir, it would be helpful if you let us take him to the hospital.”

“But Aine! He’s my best friend! I can’t let anyone take him!”

“Sir, don’t make our jobs harder.”

“Don’t take Aine away!” He cried again, pulling on his lifeless body stronger than before. I kept standing there, not wanting to leave Aine helpless but also letting Reiji have a chance to say his sorrows. Eventually, more people came and were able to separate him from the corpse, leaving me with the sad brunette.  _ Reiji, I’m sorry, but we have to be sure if he’s really dead and how he died. _

About an hour later, we came to the hospital to check on him for possibly the last time. I can tell that the doctor is frowning. “I’m sorry. We checked him twice. He died due to the incurable congestive heart failure.” The doctor said solemnly, holding his clipboard close as the pastry shop owner began another round of tears onto my poor clothes. “Reiji, you’re a grown man. You still have me and the shop to take care of, and seeing you like this...you have to move on. You cannot be this way. You’re the life of the party, and what’s the point of having a party if it’s dead?”

“Pff…It might as well be called a funeral...” The brunette slightly chuckled on my shoulder, catching me off guard at that retort. In an attempt to hide my nervousness, I lightly coughed and turned my head away from him. Good thing the doctor just left during my lecture. “OMG. Now is not the time!”

“Hahaha...Sorry, I got carried away.” He said as he wiped his eyes from the crying earlier.  _ Well, at least he’s smiling again but not in the way I had planned. _

“You’re right! I should be able to move on alone! If I’m able to work alone and get enough money for all of us, then I can still do it!” He straightened his back in an attempt to recover from his not-so-good feelings. “You don’t need to force yourself though. Yes, you still need to work, but you can’t handle this on your own. All of us are there if you- hah?”

Abruptly, Reiji brought my smaller body into his chest, hugging me  _ very _ tightly. It took a moment for me to process what just happened before I thought how deep this clasp is, like he doesn’t want me to leave at his sight after he lost Aine. Even if it feels clingy, it felt warm, comfortable, passionate, and...smells like vanilla? I know he lives in a pastry shop, but him being able to care for his health and his looks, I expected him to have a whiff of cologne, although he hasn’t talked to me about having a wife or something like that. Still, his sweet aroma reminds me of the day I met him during the cold rain. Such an alluring thought. “Please don’t abandon me...Aine’s dead and I don’t want to be the only one in the store. I can’t live by myself without looking forward to greeting the people who lives with me! I don’t want to be alone…promise me you won’t leave?”

“I promise.” I gently rubbed his back as he mumbled my name several times until I felt the weight of his body sinking down on me as if trying to make me succumb to the pull of gravity. “Reiji, wait!! You’re too heavy for me to carry!! Ah!!”

Failing to keep the brunette up, I collapsed onto the ground, defeated. “Reiji, you idiot, wake up!”

“That’s not my name, (Y/N)-chan.~”

“I don’t know what to call you other than Reiji!”

“Stop being formal and call me by the name I suggested on the first day.~”

“Are you serious?” I groaned out.

“That or you can try lifting me off of you.”

“You’re insufferable. You know that nickname signifies you are a girl, right?”

“I don’t care as long as it’s a name suited for me!~” This caused me to sigh in annoyance, as I found no other way to get out from this mess. “Fine. Get off of me, Rei-chan.”

“See? It’s not that hard!” He pushed himself up onto his feet and helped me up.

“Hmph! I will still call you Reiji.”

“Come on!~ Lighten up a bit!~ It’s not like anyone’s watching!~”  _ Don’t say things like that. _ I leaned my face forward to his, our distance mere centimeters apart. “Then would you mind us having a conversation this close?”

Stammering, Reiji’s eyes widen at the sudden movement, his grin weakening as he replied.  _ Perfect. _ “Eh?! (Y/N)-chan, d-don’t take it seriously!! You’re s-scaring me!!”

“Hmm. Good.” I smiled as I turned on my heels and took steps away from him. “Hurry if you want everyone to come to Aine’s funeral.”

“(Y/N), wait for me!” He chased after me in desperation while I smugly sped up to the point he may never catch up to me.  _ Who knew he could be this childish? _

On the day of the funeral, all of us went: me, Reiji, Ai, Ranmaru, and Camus, all in black. In somber, we watched people lay Aine’s colorless corpse into a black wooden coffin and bury it in the dirt where his grave should be. After they finished, we said our last words to Aine’s tombstone.

“Hey, Aine. You were a good partner-in-crime. Our friendship is nothing compared to your and Reiji’s, but we still tease him despite, which I find exciting. If you were still alive, we could continue with that in front of everyone here, but that time has ended too early for the both of us and I’m sad that is so. I look forward that you’ll have a good afterlife as we will soon join you.”

“Aine, we have the same hair color and similar looks. However, you are more talkative and outgoing than I am, which makes me feel as though we were polar opposites. I was anticipating we could learn about our hobbies, but I realized back then, you were ill of a condition, and I didn’t see you do much other than talk. I have concluded that you died happily, because you remained talking to the rest of us and within our company, so that shouldn’t stop you, wherever you are.”

“Kisaragi, you are by far one of the most annoying people I have ever met, but you brought the light into the conversations we had, so I feel a bit unfortunate that I’ll no longer speak or act as usual. Let those who guide you to make you feel welcome in the heavens above us.”

“Aine, you were an awesome best friend to have for two decades! You accompanied me when my family is gone, we shared many warm memories, there’s so much we have done in the past years before you were in bad health, but…I wish you didn’t have to die so soon!”

Knowing that he would cry eventually, I allowed him to weep into my shoulder. It’s going to take a while before he could return from his emotional stage, unlike the other three. They did a better job at hiding their saddened expressions. Well, Ai is better. Camus and Ranmaru furrowed their eyebrows, the rocker clearly showing a sign of frustration and the count being mixed between pity and solemnity. At last, it was my turn. “Aine Kisaragi, you have made an impact on all of our lives. You made us laugh, cry, and annoyed. You created the differences between you and Ai, you brought us closer than ever before, so we wish you well alone into the silence as we must move on in our lives with the remaining fragments of what is yours.”

  
Then, the rest of the day went like normal but with the feeling of somber crawling on our backs. However, there’s something else that sparked within our hearts. It feels nerving and mellow, like something is about to burst.  _ Hopefully, this sentiment will fade away. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus:
> 
> Camus & Ranmaru: Who are you (Ai)?  
Ai: Um...  
Reiji & You: He’s Ai.  
Reiji: He looks like Aine...  
You: This is going to be a problem.


	7. Reiji x Ai: New Memories Between Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took a while for me to finish this chapter! There was still school going on and I hit the writer’s block, so I worked on future chapters! Good news is that you all don’t have to wait for the next two chapters to come out as Christmas comes around the corner (yes, one of the chapters is the Christmas special)!

_ Aine. He’s gone. What now? (Y/N)-chan told me to move on, but...it’s difficult when Ai is here. He looks a lot like Aine with that messy hair and those eyes, but he’s less talkative and more mature. He doesn’t tease me and I don’t know him that well since he asked me to shelter (Y/N)-chan. But every time I see him, I’m this close to mixing their names up. I don’t want to offend Ai-Ai! Wait, that sounds like a cool nickname because saying it is like speaking pirate! Maybe I should get Ran-Ran to say it because he’s wearing an eyepatch! But he doesn’t use nicknames… _

“Reiji, when are we going back?”  _ Eh?! I must have gotten sidetracked! Our rich customer is already gone! _

“You guys can go without me! I have something to deal with!”

“Okay then. Make sure to come home before it rains today!” (Y/N) walked with Ranmaru, departing the graveyard. A few minutes later, the brunette leaned on the grave and began crying his heart out, ignoring the tealette that is awkwardly standing a few feet away. “I’m so sorry, Aine...I wish you weren’t dead…”

“There’s no use mourning over someone who passed away. Why aren’t you going back to work?” The quiet person asked while tilting his head to the side. “All that matters is the present.”

“I don’t care…” He responded in a growl, which is unusual for the common people to hear from an outgoing shop owner like him. “He’s special to me. Losing years of progress...doesn’t that make you angry?”

“It doesn’t. That means I have time to rebuild it and make it more lasting, which is more enjoyable than standing here, putting all rage on something that will never return.”

“Haha...I can’t believe I’m talking to someone who looks like my dead best friend…”

“Do you not understand the point I’m making?”

“Why would I if we don’t know each other?”

“Well...if we are both friends of Aine, shouldn’t friends get to know each other? It’s not that I want to replace him. I want you to know me as-”

“So what? You shouldn’t care about such things.”

“You are taking care of (Y/N), the girl I wanted you to take care as her family is abusive to her. Do you want to lose her as well?”  _ No... _

_ “Please don’t abandon me...Aine’s dead and I don’t want to be the only one in the store. I can’t live by myself without looking forward to greeting the people who lives with me! I don’t want to be alone…promise me you won’t leave?” Reiji whispered to the girl as he embraced her snugly. _

_ “I promise.” (Y/N) assured as she ran her hand over the brunette’s back, calming his sorrows. _

“Why...do you care? Why do you care for some stranger you’re looking after? It makes no sense.”

“It may seem like that, but she reminds me of someone of the past, and I don’t know how.”

“Oh.”

“If you want, I could give you a well-prepared tour about it.”

“I guess. I’m not ready to go back just yet.”

“Then, follow me.” Already, the tealette walked away. “Don’t get left behind.”

“Eh?! Not again!”

Both of them pit-stopped at a blue mailbox at the side of the walk, though the confused Reiji expected to stop at a wonderful scenery where all the magic happens. “Wait, why here? What if someone was on their way to deliver mail here?”

“This is where we first met. You think I’m nuts?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re impossible to deal with.”

“Oh really?”

“Anyways, I used to stay here. No family, no home, nothing.”

“Is that when (Y/N)-chan appeared?”

“Yes. She and her friends took me in to what is now my home. I never let anyone know where I live or let them know me.”

“What if you want to make new friends?”

“No need.”

“It’s not a need. It’s a want. Maybe you haven’t met Ran-Ran and that rich customer!”

“He has a name. Ask (Y/N). But you’re right. I haven’t gotten to know those two.”

“So when are you available to meet them?”

“...” Ai blankly stared at Reiji. “I’m free all the time.”

“Oh, right! What a stupid question!”

“No worry. Happens some time. Now, let’s get going.” Abruptly, there was a low rumbling noise, causing them to look at each other.

“Whoops! It’s dinner already, huh?”

“Uh, huh. Have a suggestion on where we’ll go?”

“Let’s head back to my place! Food’s free when invited by yours truly!”

Eagerly, the brunette tugged at the Aine clone’s hand, taking them both to his store, which now reeks of nothing sweet, but still comforting. Up ahead, he could see the two familiar figures in the kitchen. “Ran-Ran, what are you doing back in the kitchen? I hope you’re not burning the kitchen down!” Reiji left the younger at the counter as he went to pick on the poor rocker, Ai already heading off to a clean table in the farthest corner.

Eventually, he returned with two plates of omurice, unusual for a product from a sweets shop, causing the teenager to look up. “Sorry for the wait! I asked Ran-Ran to cook another plate for you as I couldn’t leave a friend out!”

“Friend…” The tealette murmured under his breath.

“Huh? What’s wrong? You don’t like omurice?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just...nevermind.”

“Suit yourself!”

Hungrily, the older man gobbled down the whole meal while the younger silently ate. “Hmm!~ It’s finger-licking good!~”

“That’s true, but...who even uses that phrase?”

“Eh?! Where have you been?!”

“At my home. I don’t listen to the outside like you do. I only come outside because I needed food or a drink.”

“Oh. Why does your life have to be so depressing?! If you had friends, you wouldn’t suffer all this by yourself!”

“Well, I have you two now.”

“I have an idea! How about you stay in Aine’s room?”  _ OMG. Why did I suggest that? If he accepts, he might bring nostalgia to all of us! _

“You know you don’t have to do that. I understand you are still mourning over your deceased best friend. Besides, I still have my home ever since childhood.”

“If it’s okay, can I visit your home?”   
“Sure, after we finish eating.”

Once they finished their food, the brunette brought both of their plates to the sink and followed after the tealette. But before he left, he looked at the two people at the round table. “Hey, (Y/N)-chan and Ran-Ran! You two have fun and don’t prank me when I return!” (Y/N) gave him a thumbs up as he continued to trail after the teen.

“I forgot to tell you. It’s going to rain so I suggest you bring an umbrella.”   
“Oh, right! I’ll go get it!” Reiji ran back to the shop but stopped when he saw the sight before him, the rocker is pinning the girl on a chair behind the dinner table. “Ran-Ran? (Y/N)-chan?” Him calling their names out caused them to peer up at him, their eyes widening in the slightest as they now have an audience watching them in a nerving silence. In fear of Ranmaru possibly chasing him down, he quickly took the umbrella and sprinted out the door. “Sorry for intruding!”

Soon, he caught up to where the boy with the lavender scarf was standing, panting after he ran as fast as he could. “Shall we continue?”

“Wait…it’s been a while since someone as old as me...can run that fast...” he gasped out, breathing heavily and holding onto the closest lamppost. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“Good. Hold onto my hand.”  _ Wait, what? _

“Um…” He looks down at the ground, clearly flustered about what to do in this situation. “This may seem childish but...can I get a piggyback ride?”

“That’s childish. What do you expect? For me to become a robot and have super strength?”

“Pretty please? I haven’t had one since I began school!” He pleaded in a child-like tone and bored his puppy eyes into those teal ones. Finding this irresistible, the tealette gave up.

“Fine, but don’t be warned if I said you were heavy.” But the brunette ignored what he said and proceeded to jump onto his back, causing them both to stumble forward a bit. “Hey! Don’t suddenly hop onto my back! Wait until I sit down, then you can get on!”

“Whoops! My bad!”

“You’re troublesome sometimes.” Reiji widened his eyes as a childhood flashback went through his mind.

_ “You’re troublesome sometimes.” Aine said to Reiji as they were walking home from their secondary school. “I don’t know how your parents could depend on you to take care of some important chores.” _

_ “Well, that’s what makes me tempting! Maybe I’ll get a girlfriend someday.” _

_ “As if. You couldn’t even talk to a single girl without having to scurry off under your desk.” _

_ “That’s not true! I’ll prove it to you that I’m suitable for love! Just wait and see!” _

_ “Rei, remember back when we go to school together that you’d prove me you’d get a girlfriend someday?” Aine questioned the brunette as he stood beside his bed after everyone left. (This is the same day as when Reiji introduced you and Ai to Aine.) _

_ “Yes. What about it?” _

_ “I might not be able to make it.” _

_ “What are you talking about?” _

_ “One day, you have to be able to move on alone. I won’t be there to help you as you will hang out with your girlfriend, potentially your wife. Besides, you have to support your family, the store, and future generations. And if you have a rush of nostalgia by someone who looks exactly like me, just know I will support your choices even when I’m gone...” _

“We’re here.” Interrupting him from his thoughts, the teen stopped in front of a treehouse.  _ How long have I been out of it lately _ , Reiji thought as he went on his feet to check the place. “It doesn’t seem like my home, but this is where I was raised by (Y/N) and I remained living in ever since. Honestly, it looks better on the inside than on the outside. Want to come in?”   
“If you said it’s going to rain anyways, why not?” Both of them climbed up the wooden planks that was attached to the tree. Once they got inside and closed the door behind them (the treehouse has a door, okay?), the brunette gaped as he gazed around the well-embellished room. There were a lot of bean bags, stuffed animals, and blankets, all overlapping the huge wooly rug on the floor. The lighting was so perfect that it brings an equal amount of the warm aura as the one in his pastry shop.  _ Is this where he has been living for at least a couple of years? It looks so brand new and unaffected by the weather!  _ “How did you get it to look this nice?”

“First rule, take off your shoes when entering. Second, don’t litter and clean after yourself. Third, keep doors and windows closed, and when entering, shut the door behind you. That’s how I keep this place clean.”

“Wow. This could be a great shelter when an epidemic strikes. Am I right?”

“...” The tealette stared at him in pure silence.

“Why are you giving me that look?! You’re scaring me!”

“Am I? Sorry about it, but the treehouse hasn’t even been considered as a base against diseases, purely because it has tiny gaps where anything miniscule can enter it.”

“No need. I’m sorry for my harshness earlier. From now on, let’s create new memories, and I’ll try to not mess you up as Aine, Ai-Ai!”

“Ai-Ai?”

“That’s your nickname! I can’t wait to learn how different you are from Aine!” Reiji shouted excitedly, leaving the treehouse.

“Wait, I haven’t- ah, nevermind. As long as he’s happy, he’ll be okay.” The teenager mumbled to himself as he sat on the carpet and slept with a nearby plush, draping a soft blanket over himself, comforted about how his life starts to feel more fortunate than in the past.


	8. Ranmaru I

“Where on earth is he?!” I yelled, realizing how long it took for Reiji to get back home, even when I warned him about the weather.  _ I hope he’s okay. He’s still not well after Aine’s funeral. _

“Well, since he closed the shop for the whole day, how about we cook something for him once he gets back? I noticed how your cooking managed to get you two to be practically rich, and how that idiot has been boasting about it for a week.”

“Wait, I-”

“‘I’m so proud of my girl! She can cook something that makes him go yippee!’” He attempts to act like the all-too-familiar brunette, me now becoming a stuttering mess.

“Y-Yes, that’s true, but you don’t have to take it seriously!”

“Haha. I’m just playin’ with ya’. I didn’t expect a poor girl like you to attract a rich man like him.”

“Don’t do that!” I punched his shoulder lightly, causing him to laugh. How rare for him to be this way. He usually acts all grumbly-like after facing a not-so-great day. But because Ranmaru was with us during the funeral, that doesn’t seem to be the case, even though Aine is dead.

“Come on. Let’s go. Who knows when the idiot will return.”

“Okay!”

In the kitchen, Ranmaru already started making rice. I wondered why. “Hey, you. Grab a few eggs and crack them into a pan. I’ll teach you what to do with them.”

Further on, I learned he was making some sort of omelette, peering over his shoulder as he stirred the egg around the heating pan. Then, he added flavor to the rice, added it above the omelette, and folded it until it’s shaped like a football and the omelette covered the outside. Slowly, he slid it onto a plate and topped it with ketchup in a squiggly line.  _ Wait, is he making omurice? It looks delicious! _

“For you, (Y/N).” He handed me the plate as he began making another one.  _ This rich-worthy food made by the rocker is for me? This must be a dream that’s too good to be true! Knock it off, me! _

“Thank you…” I mumbled as I sat at the table and silently ate. Soon, we heard the door open, meaning that the pastry shop owner has returned, but when I looked up to check the entrance, Ai was also here.  _ What is he doing here? _

“Ran-Ran, what are you doing back in the kitchen? I hope you’re not burning the kitchen down!”

“I am not!” The silverette angrily hollered back, causing me to turn to the show I was about to face.

“Ooh.~ What are you making then?”

“Omurice. Rice wrapped with an omelette.”

“Can you make one for me and Ai-Ai?”

“No. Leave me alone.”

“Come on, Ran-Ran!~ We’re both hungry!~ Why won’t you share with us?~”

“Go make it yourself.”

After a long time of them bickering back and forth like brothers, Ranmaru eventually handed Reiji two plates of omurice and returned to the table with his own plate. Knowing he doesn’t strike casual conversations, I decided to start one. “Honestly, your cooking is great. Why aren’t you working in the pastry shop?”

“I already have a job as a rockstar.”

“Oh, right.”

“But now that Aine is gone, have you guys cleaned out his room yet?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“I was thinking, maybe I could live with you guys, but on the other hand, you know.”

“Reiji would definitely annoy you.”

“If there was a way to make him stop…” Then, he stared at me, his frown gradually turning into a smirk, causing me to sweatdrop.  _ I don’t like where this is going. _

“Hey, (Y/N)-chan and Ran-Ran! You two have fun and don’t prank me when I return!” I looked up to find Reiji about to leave me.  _ Why are you ditching me with this person who looks like he’s about to rape me?  _ I shakily gave him a thumbs up as he left.  _ Great. Just perfect.  _ I looked back at the eyepatched man, him still ogling.  _ What idea does he have for me… _

“You two are close. I hope he doesn’t mind me snatching you for myself.” He stood up from his seat, stepping his way towards me.

“W-What are you t-talking about?” Suddenly, he pinned me down against the chair I was sitting in. His face is so close that I could feel his steady breaths warming up my face. “R-R-Ranmaru! What are y-you doing?!”

“Ran-Ran? (Y/N)-chan?” Both of us turned to look at the stunned shop owner with widened eyes.  _ I know he’s leaving but isn’t it a bit quick to come back? _ Awkwardly, we both glanced at each other as he quickly scuttled away, snatching the umbrella on the way out. “Sorry for intruding!”

After the door shut behind him, I fainted on the chair while the man above me sighed out. “That idiot. Doesn’t even know when to come in or not.” Then, he lifted himself off of me, walking to the sink to put his plate in the sink.  _ And he leaves just like that. He doesn’t even bother continuing, but it’s not like I want to know! I could even feel my heart beating! _ “Hey. Make sure to ask Reiji if he allows me to take over Aine’s room. Winter’s coming and I usually use your room to stay for the season, but considering you live there now, I have to think of some other way to survive.”  _ I guess he doesn’t want to continue. _

“Okay, I’ll remember, n-not what we just did in front of Reiji!”

“I’m not talking about that, idiot, but if you want, you can tell him that too.”  _ Nononononono! How careless can he get?! I don’t want Reiji to think of us any differently than he already has! _

“No, no! I’m okay!” I quickly stuttered as Ranmaru chuckled and prepared to leave. “Have a nice day!”

He nodded as he closed the door behind him and walked into the now-dark street. At the same time, the brunette happily skipped through the entrance, but stopped when he saw me standing next to the counter.  _ How convenient to return suddenly… _ “Oh. Hey, (Y/N)-chan!”

“Hey. You saw what happened earlier, right?”

“I said I was sorry!! Please don’t kill me!!”

“What are you...no! I was just checking on you! That event was uncalled for! I hope you thought nothing of it…”

“Thought of what? I never seen Ran-Ran do that before! To be honest, I never seen Ran-Ran hang out with any girl or at least held a full conversation with her. All he ever does is fight, talk to me, and play rock.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I don’t know why though. It’s not like he has gynophobia or something.”

“Huh. That does seem strange.”

“I’m glad that you got close to him to the point that he accepts your presence,  _ but the pain in my heart doesn’t stop. I wonder why. _ ”

“Eh?”

“Don’t mind that! I’ll catch up to his level eventually!”

“Oh, I forgot to ask you. Ranmaru wants to use Aine’s room to stay in for the winter. Do you mind?”

“Not at all! Though, you have to help me move both of their belongings tomorrow. They both don’t have much, but we have to spend time boxing up Aine’s because we won’t be using them in quite a long time.” I nodded, ending the conversation there as we both got ready to sleep for the night, preparing for the day ahead of us.


	9. Christmas Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! I get to finish the Christmas chapter and perhaps the beginning for their love on the reader! Sorry if it’s a bit cliche, but at least I kept them all from getting too OOC. Also, the reader will start knowing Camus a lot better (Reiji and Ranmaru are still my favs) as she begins reading the book he gifted her, so expect that happening in a few chapters featuring Camus! So I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as each one of them should have an equal effect on the reader! If not, then I might be failing at trying to connect it with the ending in which she ends up living with the four of them.

“Wake up, (Y/N)-chan.~ We have to prepare for Christmas.~” A certain voice whispered into my ear, the warm breath tickling my cheeks, causing me to wake up. “What the-! Reiji, don’t do that to me, idiot!”

“Come on, come on! This is the best time to open up the store because we’ll be super busy making orders for our customers! I can hang up the decorations while you handle the shop! Think you can do it?”

“Let me prepare first, then we can talk about what to do for Christmas.” I grumbled and got out of bed as Reiji ran down the stairs.

After I changed into my “work” clothes, I went ahead and did my usual business.  _ He’s right. There are more customers today than ever. _ Adding to the difference, Ranmaru and Ai came to help, the rocker helping me with the customers and the other helping Reiji with the decorations. Somewhere at noon, Camus appeared and, well, makes things harder for us by ordering a bunch of desserts when he sees us available for service, even the silver-haired man finds it annoying. “If you’re going to stay there for the rest of the day, then at least help us instead of killing us with your overdose on sugar!”

“This will train you to take on bigger businesses where hard work is required, you silver buffoon!” The count hollered back, leading to another fight between the two.  _ Not again. _

“Hey, you two. Stop it. We have to get back to work and Camus, don’t make our work harder or we’ll never close the store for the holidays, but if you want to celebrate most of Christmas with us, you could help, just not by wasting your money.”

“Fine, but I’ll handle the orders, madam. You cook better than you look.” (If you look better than you cook, then we’re both screwed.) The blonde replied in a gentlemanly tone as he got out of his seat and went to change into an apron.

I am surprised by the fact that this cold person who just argued with Ranmaru can become polite within a second, though did he say that my cooking is better than how I look? I don’t know if he was complimenting or insulting me. Maybe both. Either way, I did as he ordered and decided to help the rocker cook in the kitchen. Without any more bickering and problems becoming an obstacle to time, we closed the Christmas-adorned store for the day with only the five of us to celebrate it. The Christmas tree was already set up and glimmering so brightly and colorfully, courtesy to Reiji and Ai. 

“Wait, where are the Christmas gifts?” I asked everyone.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” (Ranmaru)

“Some of us don’t have enough money to buy each other gifts.” (Ai)

“Even so, why would we even care about buying useless trinkets?” (Camus)

“You guys are heartless!~ Where’s the holiday spirit that lies in your souls?~” Reiji nudged Ranmaru’s shoulder. “Isn’t Christmas about being with the ones you love and showing them how much you care?”

“That’s cliched. We don’t have anyone we love.” The three taller men replied all at once.

“What about Rei-chan? Hmm?”

“You’re annoying. You don’t count.”

“So mean…My poor heart…” The brunette sank to the ground while clenching the area above his heart.

“Since we still have the rest of the day, why not go shopping to buy some?”

“Again, we don’t have-”

“You’re talking to people who literally has enough money for vacations. Do you think we’re self-sufficient?”

“Come on, you guys! Let’s go buy gifts! I don’t want to end Christmas with nothing!” Abruptly, the shortest out of the quartet wrapped his arms around the silverette’s left and kept tugging it. “Come on, Ran-Ran!~ You can’t leave Rei-chan hanging out here in the cold! You too, Ai-Ai!”

“Go by yourself.”

“It’s okay, Reiji. If they decide not to go, let’s leave them be. We can shop on our own.”

“Mou, I wanted all of us to buy presents…” He cried as we both dressed up in heavy coats for the ice cold weather outside. Apparently, my closet has a jacket that fits me, even though it’s full of clothes that don’t belong to me.

“Ready, my girl?” He asked me as I put on my boots.  _ I swear to God I saw the others flinched for a moment. _

“Sure!” I replied, trailing after the brunette as he grabbed his wallet and led me out of the store. For a while, we walked slowly to admire the white snowflakes falling down onto the bare trees and the clear icicles magnifying the small amount of light reflecting from the moon.  _ Something good is bound to happen. _

“Whoa! (Y/N)-chan, look! There’s lots of people getting gifts too!” The man beside me pointed out the crowd on the streets. Most of them were carrying stuffed shopping bags, some bringing children along to buy toys, some carrying food to share in their Christmas meal. This night is just as busy as the day.

“Yeah, they’re celebrating Christmas. We’re not the only ones celebrating it, you know.”

“And the lights! They’re so pretty! Just like the stars in the sky!”

“You’re right…” Seeing families spending quality time in this jolly holiday, I can’t help but feel a rush of nostalgia. I missed the good times with my family before they forced me.

“Hey, you okay? You know you can tell Rei-chan about it?”

“It’s just...I’m just thinking about my family. I missed the days of warmth…” I trailed off, looking at the ground until a few minutes later when Reiji found a wooden box from an alleyway and standing on it.

“Don’t worry! This Christmas, we’ll do it better than your family! We’ll make this an unforgettable night for us all!”

“Um...we should probably start shopping if we want this to be unforgettable.”

“You’re right!” He ruffled my hair before handing me some money.  _ This is more than enough for me to buy us all gifts. _ “Keep them just in case the others decide to buy gifts!”

“You know they aren’t doing presents, right?”

“Who knows? They might change their mind.” We both went our separate ways after we reached the shopping center. I began looking around the area, peering through glass windows to search for what each man would want.

In a jewelry store, I saw a necklace glimmering in the light, the crystal reflecting its lilac color. It somehow reminded me of the quiet teenager with his light purple scarf, but while I was thinking of him, I felt a hand on my shoulder. “You want to buy that?”

Startling me, I turned around to glance at the person that was currently on my mind. “Ai! You scared me!”

“Sorry…” He muttered. “Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.”

“Sure…” We both headed inside the jewelry store, the tealette checking out the products they were selling. I smiled as he curiously looked through the glass protection.

“Excuse me, can I have one of the necklaces that I saw outside? It’s light purple.”

“Sure! Just wait for a minute or two!” The jeweler said, leaving us here to wander some more.

“Hey, um, Ai. Are you going to buy gifts or you just want to hang about?” The teen looked at me with his glowing cyan eyes.  _ So mesmerizing like the ocean. _

“Second option. I don’t know anyone well enough to know what they might want for Christmas.”

“Makes sense. Would you mind receiving gifts?”

“As long as it’s meaningful.”

“Ahah…That’s going to be difficult.”

“Not when the gift is from you.”

“Huh?” When I looked up, the tealette disappeared into the crowd, which I swear is growing by the minute.

“Here’s the necklace!” She gave me a blue velvety box, which the necklace is in, and I paid her. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas.” I nodded, carrying the box as I stepped back out on the sidewalk.

Continuing on my trip, I found a pair of carbon black fingerless gloves along with a spiky silver wristband. It reminds me of the edgy-looking Ranmaru, comparing the wristband to his hair.  _ What a strange comparison _ , I giggled to myself until a manly cough came from behind, causing me to turn around. “Oh! Ra-“

The rockstar covered my mouth and clutched onto my shoulder in an attempt to silence me. “Oi! Don’t holler my name out loud, idiot! You’re going to get us both in trouble!” He yelled as he released me from his grip. “Be glad the crowd is loud.”

“Sorry. I just find it strange to find you guys wandering about when you clearly stated you weren’t going to buy gifts.”

“Damn. When that kid left, I couldn’t even stand having the Tall Lady standing in the same building as me.”

“So you left instead of beginning an argument with him like you usually do. Nothing suspicious about that, huh?”

“Just shut up and get inside. I hate the cold as equally as I hate him.” He quickly led me into the tiny shop.

Once we were inside, we took a look around the interior. At least it’s not that dark that we couldn’t see where we’re stepping into, but it is dark enough to create this eerie feeling in my chest, so I held onto Ranmaru’s jacket as we both walked up to the counter where a well-dressed man stood behind. “Welcome to the store. Is there anything you both want to buy?”

“I’ll just take a look around until I find something.” Ranmaru replied as he began venturing the place.

“How about you?”

“I would like to buy the fingerless gloves I saw at the window.”

“For your boyfriend here?” Hearing Ranmaru being called my boyfriend caused my heart to flutter all too well.

“Y-Yes...but he’s not my boyfriend!” I lowered my voice so that the rockstar doesn’t hear what I’m saying. I must prevent the other men from knowing what present I got them.

Suddenly, I found the said person standing beside me as he placed down a guitar pick with someone’s signature on it connected to a beady necklace. “I’m buying this.”

“Okay! Is that all?”

“I think that’s it. Here.” I paid for the gifts again in return for the two objects we bought, handing the necklace to Ranmaru as we both left. “So? Who is the gift for?” But as I looked back to where he’s supposed to be, he was nowhere to be found. The fact that two men had randomly appeared and disappeared made me sigh.

As I returned to strolling through the streets to find the perfect gift, I stumbled myself onto the sight of the frozen lake. Like the icicles, it shimmered in what remained of the moonlight.  _ It’s so cold outside. _ Every time I thought about winter, I thought about Camus’s icy blue eyes and his personality.  _ Wish he could warm up once in a while. _ When I turned around, I ended up bumping into someone’s chest. “I’m sorry, sir! I’ll look where I’m going next time!”

“Maybe check who you bumped into.” A low voice interrupted me, making me look up.

“Camus?!” Realizing whose voice it was, I suddenly stepped back, but for some reason, I felt my feet slip on ice, causing me to fall backwards. About to prepare for the hard impact of the ground, I felt two arms wrap around my waist. I peered up to find the man holding me up as if we ended our dance, his face near mines as I could feel his steady breaths on my cheek.  _ Oh, no. My racing heart is killing me. Camus is holding me like his bride.  _ Trying my best to not collapse at the hold, we both got up, the count tidying his pure white coat.

“Be careful next time, fool. Winter is the time for snow and ice, and I only prevented you from having an accident because of your incapability to do so.”  _ Way to kill my mood.  _

“Anyways, what are you doing here?”

“Simply taking a walk around the winter scenery, madam. Perhaps you want to walk with me?”

“It’s a kind offer, but I have to get everyone gifts before we get back. Sorry.”

“Would you be convinced if I bribe you with a snow cone?”

“Camus, it’s literally cold out here. I would rather drink hot chocolate to warm me up against the cold.”

“Guess you still have some logic.”

“It’s based on instinct. Now I must get back to shopping.”

“If you insist.” We both departed ways before I got an idea for what to buy for Camus and went to buy it before going back out to find a gift for Reiji.

At last, I felt hunger rise in my body as I dragged myself to a store named “Kotobuki Bento”.  _ Strange. It has Reiji’s last name. _ Entering the store, the smell is very alluring and the heat is unbearable that I decided to take off my jacket. Out of the other shops I went to, this was by far the most heated up with the amount of people in one area. In the fairly dark shop, me and Ranmaru were the only customers there. In the jewelry store, there were more people, but none can beat the bustling of people in this restaurant. I waited in line until it was finally my turn to order. Glancing at the cashier, she has the same hazel brown hair as Reiji.  _ Screw it. This store is related to Reiji. _ But because I’m hungry, I have to be quick on the orders.  _ Perhaps I’ll give Reiji a bento as a gift.  _ “Can I have two bentos? One with extra fried chicken.”

“Sure! Here or to go?”

“To go.” Eventually, I paid for both bentos and walked back to the pastry shop, eager to eat dinner.

By the time I got back, everyone already sat their Christmas presents down.  _ Guess those three decided to buy us gifts as well. _ Hearing me walk to them, the brunette was the first one to greet me and hug me. “Welcome back, (Y/N)-chan! Did you face any danger along the way?”

“No. Did you?”

“Nope! But I’m surprised I was here before these three returned! Where have you guys been?”

“Dealing with a bunch of thugs.” (Ranmaru)

“Strolling around.” (Camus)

“Going back to my house to get some things.” (Ai)

“Oh. Then in that case, let’s get to opening the presents! I’m first!”

First was Ranmaru’s. “Aw! Ran-Ran! What’s this?”

“It’s a  _ brand new  _ scarf.” Looking at it, there’s a bit of dirt marks and rock bits stuck onto the fabric, but knowing him, he probably stole it from someone.

“So comfy!” Next was Ai. It was a CD. “Ai-Ai, is this?”

“I could have given it to you sooner, but your best friend insisted on giving it to you today. It contains all the logs from him, but he won’t force you to watch it and same for me.”

“I’ll watch it when I can.” Then, Camus, surprisingly. Those two haven’t talked to each other much, to be honest. “A snow globe?”

“Well, it’s winter and it might add to the looks of the store.”

“That’s a great idea!” He puts the snow globe on one of the front windows. “Ran-Ran, you’re next! We’re opening (Y/N)-chan’s presents last!”

First, he opened the gift from Reiji. It seems to be an MP3 player. “Really? Is this all?”

“No! I want you to listen to the lyrics I wrote and sang for the song you gave me months ago! I guarantee it will rock your socks off!”  _ Wait, Reiji can sing?!  _ I can see us remaining three being shocked by this fact.

“Are you okay with me uploading this song on the net? It is originally requested from one of my fans.”

“Sure!”

“Huh. Thanks, I guess.” Next is Ai. It is some mysterious looking bottle. “What’s this?”

“Some kind of temporary strengthening potion. I assume it would be useful in a near-death situation, so I suggest you use it wisely.”

“Uh, okay?” Finally, Camus. Well, we have been seeing these two as a pair of archenemies, so we hoped they did not do something strange with each other’s presents “This must be some prank for you to give me gifts. Or are you just doing this to piss me off?”

“If you’re not satisfied, you can just return it.”

“I’m  _ fine  _ with it!” He stubbornly shouted as he opened the present. It was a pet cat with greyish white fur and mismatched eyes like Ranmaru. “Huh. It’s just a cat. And it looks like me.”

All of us looked at Camus, who was now smirking. “How did you know he likes cats?”

“He reminds me of one, considering his hair style and personality. But don’t think we’re what you guys call ‘softies’. I only wanted him to stop besmirching my name with ‘Tall Lady’.”

“Man, I almost feel bad for giving you a present.”

“What did you say, you furry?”

“Hey, hey! Today’s Christmas! Let’s not argue!”

Soon, it was my turn after Camus accepted Ranmaru’s “partly horrible” gift. From Reiji, I finally got a new phone with a different phone number, so I no longer have to be reminded of my abusive family as I can throw my old phone away. From Ranmaru, he gave me the necklace he bought earlier, and as he further explained it, it is his merchandise since it has his signature on it. From Ai, I got a stuffed (favorite animal). I am not going to question how or when he knows what my favorite animal is. At last, Camus got me a book. Just a book, but he claims that it is the closest book to him in terms of history.

Now for my presents for the quartet, all of them liked it in different ways. Ai said a soft thank you before awkwardly embracing me when I gave him the crystal necklace. Ranmaru puts on the gloves and made a rocking hand gesture in the air, shouting, “Rock forever!” This startled us, but I went back to letting Camus open his present. Upon seeing what I bought him, his eyes widened as I have gotten him his personal tea cup with the beautiful intricate designs. If he keeps visiting here, he must at least have his own cup to drink from. Though, if he’s going to trash this one, consider it his last present that I will ever give. “You gave me my own tea cup?”

“Well, you keep being our customer for months, so consider this a reward. Though, I don’t suggest you trashing it, because this may be the first and only present I will give you.”

“You just had to threaten me, didn’t you?”

“Just supporting why we celebrate Christmas.” I retorted as I anticipate Reiji opening his gift last.

“A bento? And it has my family name right before it…” The brunette murmured as he took off the cover, but once he saw what was in the bento, his jaw literally _ dropped _ . “(Y/N)-chan…”

“Um, yes?” But when I looked up, his eyes are teary. “Are you okay?”

“Where...how did you get this?”

“Rei-chan, I found a restaurant off in the shopping-”

“Lead me there!” Surprised by his sudden outburst, I quickly grabbed his wrist and made a run for it, abandoning the other three. Once I led him to the place where I bought the bento, he made his way through the crowd and well, now I realized the people running this restaurant was Reiji’s family. From the outside, I could see him hugging and crying happily as he individually hugged each of his family members. Eventually, the taller three were able to catch up and were confused as to what happened.

“Looks like our lovable pastry owner found his family. Don’t you agree?”

“No way. He told me they were in another country. Are they seriously back after a whole decade?”

“Seems as so, but his food will get cold at this point.”

“I get dibs on the meat! I’m thriving to get my strength back!”

“Moments like these are worth cherishing, even on a Christmas evening. So that’s why he wanted me to make friends…”

“I guess Reiji was right about this Christmas being better than any other.”

“What are you talking about?” The rockstar questioned as Reiji returned, interrupting our moment as he gripped onto both of my shoulders and leaned closer.

“(Y/N)-chan, thank you for uniting me with my family...They have been gone for so long...I missed the food they cooked for me back when I was still attending school...This is what I needed to revive myself...so I’m grateful you gave me that gift.” He released me as he turned to the others. “Now, what are you guys talking about?”

“What makes this Christmas different from those with my family is that you all are here, trying to be supportive and making this day the most wonderful experience I ever had. I’m glad I get to spend time with you all, forgetting the pains of abuse and moving on to a new life that I totally did not deserve. Again, I am filled with joy as I got four men standing in front of me, celebrating this holiday as if we’re family, and one day, we’ll continue to live on, remembering that our hearts are under one roof.” After I made a short speech, I found the brunette sniffling and wiping his fake tears.

“Such heartfelt words! My girl is truly the best! This calls for a group hug!” Abruptly, he somehow wringed his arms around us and pulled us into a tight embrace, causing the other three to explode.

“Hey, Reiji! I’m not a teddy bear!” (Ranmaru)

“Unhand me, fool! A noble like me forbids a commoner like you to touch me!” (Camus)

“Reiji, you know how we are about hugs!” (Ai)

“Aww! No fair! T^T” He let go of us, now sitting in a fetal position on a nearby park bench, causing me to giggle.

“Come on, you four! We still have a ways ahead of us and Christmas isn’t over yet, so how about we head back and eat dinner?” Good thing all of them agreed or my speech could have been for nothing. As I waited for Reiji to catch up, he walked up to me and whispered something in my ear.

  
“ _ Perhaps we’ll eventually evolve to become more than just friends and family. _ ”


	10. Camus x Reiji: Honeyed How-To

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! It’s very difficult to maintain Camus’s cold personality while trying to establish some affection between the two of them. To me, it’s one of those ships that don’t appeal to me as affectionate, but because it is required of a full quintet relationship, I have to try to see this from a different appeal, and that is desserts, so now we have a sweet scene between them. No, I’m not sorry about the pun. ;)

_ “Why are you giving that look? Did I do something wrong?” _

_ “He wants something very sweet. Do you expect him to give you tons of money if you give him something so plain?” _

Reiji stood there, watching the scene unfolding before him as the blonde took a scoop of (Y/N)’s creation. Even though its appearance is mouth-watering and their rich customer seemed to enjoy it, he doesn’t seem convinced that his  _ plain _ cake is low-quality for the count, or basically, his cooking isn’t unfitting for the said person. He’s been working here for over a decade and knows his customers well, but this person never went to this pastry shop before. For weeks, he couldn’t talk to him or cook for him, fairly because he’s stubborn. “I only want (L/N) to cook for me.”  _ Well, not today. _

“Hey, (Y/N)-chan, we’re about to run out of eggs.” He abruptly stated after he checked the fridge.

“I realized Ranmaru used most of the eggs last evening. I’ll go.”

“Eh?! Are you serious?!”

“Yes, you own the building and I’m literally a poor girl living with you. At least let me try to make it up to you.”

“Okay then! Be careful out there!” He hollered as the girl went to buy some ingredients for the desserts. As if on time, the rich customer entered the store and sat at an empty table, closing his eyes as he began pondering whatever’s in his mind.  _ Good! Now’s my chance! _ All jolly-like, the brunette skipped over to the table and prepared his notepad and pencil. “How may I take your order?”

“The usual.” He answered without opening his eyes to look at who’s taking the order, assuming none other than (Y/N).

“Got it! The order will be arriving shortly!” He went to the kitchen and began cooking, since he already knew what the count wanted due to the countless times he ordered the same thing, the chocolate lava cake. Though, it was pretty hard to make it.  _ How can (Y/N)-chan make this better than I do? She must have been good at cooking. _

Eventually, he finished decorating the cake to look almost like (Y/N)’s version as he tried to remember it from the top of his mind and managed to make the tea that goes with it before he went over to the table where Camus is sitting and placed both down. “Here’s your order! Enjoy!” He greeted and watched the customer humbly consume the chocolate dessert. As in humbly, his face scrunched up slightly as he slows down his eating.  _ Oh, no. This isn’t good. _

“So...how is it?” The blonde looked up at the brunette as if he was about to coldly accuse him of sabotaging his order. Knowing what’s going to happen, Reiji looked down and his shoulders dropped, his eyes showing discouragement.

“You’re not-”

“I know. You want (Y/N) to cook for you. You have to wait, she’s out getting more ingredients…” He nonchalantly interrupted, beginning to walk back to the counter.  _ Guess he likes (Y/N)-chan’s cooking more than mines _ , he thought as depression grew.

However, something cold and fleshy held his wrist back, preventing him from walking further away from the table. It’s like his limb could be frozen in place just by the hold, even if there's warmth in the shop that is contrasting the winter cold outside. “Wait.” Pulling the hand that was gripping onto the wrist, Camus got Reiji to sit beside him with the chocolate cake in front of him. “Perhaps I misjudged.” Carefully, he picked up the spoon and scooped a piece of the food that’s on the plate.

“What are you doing?”

“Letting you try your own creation.”  _ What? Is he serious? _ “Now, eat.”

“Okay, okay! No need to demand me!” Doing as he said, Reiji let the piece of cake hit his taste buds. For some reason, it tastes a bit bitter than he thought.  _ That doesn’t seem right. I thought I used milk chocolate, unless… _ Running to the kitchen to check what ingredients and returning to the table he sat, he finally realized where everything went wrong. “Whoops! I must have used dark chocolate on accident! It tastes so bitter!”

“That wasn’t the only thing that’s missing. In (Y/N)’s version of the cake, there was a hint of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and extra sugar.”

“Huh. I didn’t know you were into sweets.”

“Which is why I asked for a certain amount of sugar in my tea as well.”  _ How much sugar does this man consume every day?!! If this is how much he eats daily, he’ll get diabetes!!! How come (Y/N)-chan isn’t aware of this?!! _

“Looks like I have so much to improve on. I’ll go make another one!” Going back to the kitchen, he made another chocolate lava cake, this time being better than the last one. He overflowed the cake with chocolate syrup, dusted it with powdered sugar, and topped it with a few fresh raspberries. Yes, he may be overdoing the decorations of the cake by adding whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate chips, but if it’s for the count, then he may as well call it perfection. After an acceptable amount of time garnishing the dessert, he took a quick photo of it and served it to the pending customer. “Here’s your order, again. Enjoy!” Letting him be, he went to serve the other customers, (Y/N) later returning with more ingredients and helping him close for the day, not until they realized the blonde was still sitting at his table, looking at a magazine.

“Why are you still here? Haven’t you already paid hours ago?” Reiji decided to come to him while (Y/N) is still cleaning the dishes. Suddenly, he felt something cold entering his mouth. He could taste the sugary, fruity, chocolatey, and fluffy cake, which tells him that he did an excellent job in cooking the second attempt.  _ Wait, is this the spoon he used to eat with?!  _ With that thought lingering in his mind, he froze in his seat, the blush being visible on his face, causing the count to chuckle.  _ And he doesn’t just laugh for anyone, especially (Y/N).  _ “Did you use this spoon to eat the cake?!”

“That’s the only spoon you gave me. If you know I was going to let you taste test, you could have gotten another spoon, but that’s fine. And stop being nervous over something so simple as eating.” He muttered as he took his leave.

Still stunned at the fact that he remains stoic after the indirect kiss, he carried the plates and zombie-walked his way to the sink, cleaning off every little scrap of food into the trash can. Then, he stumbled into his bed face down so that he could cry all of his embarrassment into the mattress. The girl then appeared at the side of the doorway with an all-knowing smirk. “You okay, Rei-chan? You sound drunk or possessed since the last time we talked.”

“I’m f-fine!!!” He stuttered out, kicking his feet like a five-year old.


	11. Camus I

It’s been a couple of months since I first met Camus, but he’s always the same. Cold, silent, and serious. He doesn’t joke around or is childish like Reiji, isn’t shy like Ai, and isn’t as badass as Ranmaru. Other than that, he likes to read and eat sweets. He keeps coming here everyday, wanting to eat and have tea, and while we were making his order, he reads a magazine, a newspaper, or a book. Yes, I could learn from reading the book he gave me during Christmas, but there’s something more...different about that book. I tried to basically open the book, but it remains shut, and I don’t know why and how this book locked itself.

Anyways, it narrowed my decisions down to one: talk to him. Honestly, the first time we met, it wasn’t very satisfying. It marked the beginning of me cooking for him, but he called me a peasant, and there’s nothing harsher than that. The kindest he has done was, well, everything he has done on Christmas. I was surprised he could even be customer-friendly. I wonder why he can’t be like that all the time, then it would have been easier to have a casual chat with. Though, seeing Reiji be able to get the most from the blond, I feel that this is the only way to get to know him more.  _ But I don’t want to end up ruining Reiji’s happiness if I cooked something for him. _

In an attempt to get to learn about the aristocrat, I made a croquembouche, which I didn’t expect that I would be able to make or at least eat by myself. To be honest, I only thought about how it looks and tastes instead of checking the nutritional facts. Considering the number of cream puffs, I’ll probably need to share it among others to prevent gaining weight.  _ Hope Reiji doesn’t mind having a sweet dinner _ , I chuckled to myself as I brought a serving over to the table that Camus usually sat at. Though, I’m not sure when he’s going to appear. He comes here everyday, but there’s no pattern in when he eats. He could be going to either lunch or dinner, breakfast having already passed.

Strangely enough, familiar gunshots were heard outside the windows, and me, being close to one, looked out. Out on the streets, two cars zoomed past this building and many people went to the nearest hiding spots to avoid getting shot.  _ I wonder what is going on _ , I thought as I stepped outside. These cars are driving so fast in this metropolis, I’m surprised the police haven't chased behind them yet. With the will to find out what’s happening, I ran after them, well, for a minute, then I tripped due to exhaustion. Ever since I stopped going to school, which is about 2 or 3 years from now, I lacked the physical energy to maintain my stamina, so here I am, laying on the hard concrete, internally crying as the impact of my fall still resides in me.  _ I should have just rested on one of the benches, then this impact wouldn’t be this painful. _

After a few minutes, the crowds of the street returned to its usual state, but I ignored it for what seems like a couple of hours, being too lazy to push myself off the ground. “Wake up, you peasant. The people are on the streets. You don’t want anyone to step on you, would you?” Well, someone’s having a bad day today other than me. I kept my face down and tried to tune out his cold words, until I felt two hands on both of my shoulders pulling me up and my eyes met with a pair of icy blue ones, unusually gentle for some reason. I thought he would use that sharp glare on me since who else would wear (f/c) crocs and have (h/c) hair? Then, again, he might be faking his kindness. “Are you okay, madam? It’s like you’ve been out here for hours.” Yep, he’s faking it, but why?

Looking up at the sky, he was right. I haven’t noticed it, but the sun is just above the horizon and some warm hues began to show up. It's late afternoon. At this point, if the dessert wasn’t protected, it would have already been consumed by now. But I don’t care about that now. I’m just glad Camus is here. “I’m fine,” I slowly replied as I noticed how elegantly the setting sun glistened through his long blondish hair and the cold wind blowing many strays over his white felt coat.  _ What on earth, Mother Nature? Why must I succumb to living my life with four different yet handsome men? _ “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you.”   
“You know well that you shouldn’t have. It’s foolish to wait for someone when you don’t know when they’ll come again.”  _ Ouch. My feelings. _ He’s cold-hearted as always.

Feeling the discouragement pulling on my arm, I dragged it over to his cuffs, tugging with little strength I have left. “Just follow me. I made you a present.”

“A present? I’m interested. Lead me.” I nodded as I brought him over to the table where I placed the croquembouche, still standing as proud as before. I’m surprised it’s still in great condition, considering it’s been out here for several hours. I thought I would be left with a heap of hardened rocks infested with bacteria and other strange things that happen to inhabit in its fluffiness. That would be something the count next to me would be displeased about.

“You know, it took me a while to make this, but I hope it’s good enough to fulfill your tastes.” I calmly dismissed as I went behind the counter. For the whole time, my fellow worker stared at our last customer of the day before he glanced at me.

“There you are! I have something to tell you!”

“What is it, Reiji?”

“The food you made for dinner is really yummy! I didn’t know you had great talents! Also, I added a bit of  _ magic _ to Myu-chan’s plate if you get what I mean!”

“Myu- I mean, magic? I hope you didn’t do anything wrong with it…” Both of us continue to watch him. It’s becoming a habit now and I’m relieved he hasn’t caught us.

Eventually, he came to the counter with the empty plate. “Do I have to pay for the food?” I was about to answer until the brunet interrupted me.

“No, you don’t have to! We’re family, so it’s fine!” This caused the blond to flinch and look repulsed.

“Family?”

“Yes, we’re family, well, more like a family of friends!”   
“I mean I understand the term clearly. It’s just a bit too risky to be calling each other friends.”   
“What are you talking about?”

“ _ There’s no need for you to know. You are too naive to know. We are not and will never be friends. Relationships between the producer and the consumer are forbidden. _ ” At that, he stormed out of the store with a strong ‘bang’ to the poor front door, having us both silent as we closed for the day and went to sleep. Camus is always cold as usual. However, there’s a feeling of worry that we have done something wrong.


	12. Ranmaru x Ai: Red + White = Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s not Valentines anymore, but we have the International Color Day in about a week, so I decided to write about that! Also, I’m not much of a fan for Valentines, because I’m single and get jealous of other heterosexual couples easily. Then again, it’s also the day for homosexuals, so I don’t mind them as much, which is why I went ahead and made this story a quintsome (if that’s considered a word). Just a combination of gay and straight relationships (and in this case, all of QN are bisexual).
> 
> As a reminder, I don’t plan to make this story crappy or it won’t end well. Everyone, stay safe and healthy while the coronavirus is affecting the world and I’ll see you all, if we do survive, in the next chapter!
> 
> *Oh, I forgot. There’s a bit of lime later in the chapter, so be aware. I don’t plan on making this a lemon.

“ _ Red symbolizes love, passion, intensity, energy, excitement, sexiness, and attention. White symbolizes cleanliness, purity, innocence, lightness, empowerment, and goodness. _ ”

Ai was reading a color chart outside a random store. This very day is the International Color Day, March 21. The towns are filled with wide varieties of colors, decorated with beautiful flowers, streamers, balloons, and huge banners. Anyways, he was on his way to the pastry store, because there was nothing else for him to do today other than keeping the tree house clean, which is something he doesn’t want to do every single day.

So here he was, strolling around the streets, finding something to do. Well, if he was doing nothing, why not go to the pastry shop? It doesn’t hurt to see his beloved, even though it hurts that she doesn’t remember him. As he passed by, all hopes of entertainment disappeared. Through the windows, there was no glimmer of light, just the empty darkness. “Where are they? Isn’t the shop open every day?”

“They left for a short vacation. They’ll be back.” A deep gruff voice answered, causing the tealette to glance in the direction it came, only to find the silver spike-haired rocker standing.

“Ranmaru, is it? Why are you here?”

“Same thing I’m asking you. You don’t seem to talk a lot.”

“I just don’t feel like it.”

“Bored, aren’t you? Same here. The idiot didn’t let me take over for them.”

“Hmm. What do you suggest we do for the rest of the day?”

“I only do rock.”

“Nevermind...I was thinking about hair do-overs, but I guess you thought otherwise.”

“Hair do-overs? Isn’t that what girls do?”

“You’re talking to someone who lacked masculine parents. Also, I was hoping you’d do something better because you look like you could do better.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. I have to look good for my fans. Want to prove that?”

“Sure…”

Pulling out a motorcycle out from the alleyway in which he used to live in, Ranmaru gave Ai his helmet while he revved up the automobile and placed a mysterious box on it. “You own a motorcycle now?”

“Reiji gave me some money so that I can go get my license and this two-wheeled baby. It’s cool, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.” He complimented as he secured his helmet to his head.

“Hop on.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out.” He retorted as the teen hopped on and he began driving around town.

Going through the whole metropolis, Ai could see more buildings that were bursting with colors. “How do you think of International Color Day? It’s so colorful in this city. And personally, what is your favorite color?”

“I don’t do much of colors, but if I had to choose, let’s say dark red. It’s like red, full of passion, but it’s more mature and sexy. That’s why most women would wear clothes with that color, to make them more attractive. What about yours?”

“Light purple.”

“Huh. We’re here. Get off.”

They have stopped at an apartment, also adorned with colors. “You own an apartment?”

“Yes, the same way I bought the motorcycle. Come in. I live in Room 302.” Together, they both went on the elevator and entered the said room before Ai was greeted with a vanity full of makeup supplies and a diversity of hair pins. Then, he was asked to sit on the chair behind the vanity before Ranmaru began doing his hair. “Stay still while I redo your hair.”

“Alright.”

For what seemed like an hour, the silverette kept tugging, twirling, and holding his hair, deciding how he should arrange it in order to make him look appealing and what accessory he should add to keep his hair in place. The younger man kept looking out of the window, astonished of the high view above the city and the clouds floating about in the bright blue sky.

“Okay, done. Look in the mirror.” By the time he looked at his reflection, the shock overtook him. Some of the tealette’s front hair was braided to the side with a cute milky bow and his long hair was tied with his lilac hair tie, attached is a pure ivory rose, making him more girly and pretty. It took a moment for him to process what he was staring at before he began praising and smiling at the taller man.

“I love it. It’s perfect.” At that, the stylist’s cheek turned red and he tried his best to hide it. Unfortunately, Ai noticed. “Your face is red. I remembered myself reading a color chart. Red is a symbol for love, passion, intensity, energy, and sexiness. I wonder why that is…”

Startled by this fact, Ranmaru began stepping away from him, the shorter person stepping more closer to him. _ Damn, there’s no escape. _ “Hey! Snap out of it!”

“Why? Why should I stop? Seeing you like this interests me.”

“Okay, if you’re not going to stop, then you leave me no choice!” With force, he grabbed his wrist and pinned him to the wall he used to stand in front of. He slowly growled out, “Don’t play with me like a toy or you’ll highly regret your decision.”

“Eh?! Wait a second!” The teen yelped as he felt his scarf loosen up around his neck.

“I have been wondering how you look a lot like Aine, even if you two aren’t related to each other.”

“It’s n-none of your business!”

“And here I thought you were an angel…” The spikes of his hair began tickling his jawline. On instinct, the tealette moaned until they heard the door open and that familiar gentleman tone interrupted them.

“Excuse me, can you two quiet down? No means to inter…”

Peering at the entrance, there was the person they have least expected to come to their door, Camus. His hand froze where he opened the door as his fake smile quickly faded into that of pure confusion and regret, shutting the door with a soft ‘click’. They both sweatdropped until realization hit the rocker, causing him to scream in anger as he went out to catch the intruder. “BASTARD, COME BACK HERE AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN, THEN I’LL STOP CALLING YOU TALL LADY!!!”

After he was left alone, Ai redid his scarf, but kept the hair style. He smiled to himself as walked by the two who were now arguing whatever they usually argue about (it’s about why Camus is gone for a long time ever since whatever happened in the last chapter). But before he walked back home, he read a nearby color chart.  _ Might as well celebrate the remainder of the day. _

“ _ Pink symbolizes femininity, sweetness, health, romance, and innocence. _ ”

_ Huh. Interesting. _


	13. Reiji I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Reiji, he’s the same zodiac as me, differences being that he’s more comedic than I am and more outgoing, so it’s pretty difficult for me to portray that here. However, when it comes to emotional things and romantic moments, that’s a different topic. So prepared to get some tissues, if you decide to.

Opening my eyes, I could feel the heavy weight of what happened weeks ago, the day Camus stopped coming over and asking for desserts. It’s like if someone dropped a huge ice block onto my back, making it hard for me to even move my limbs or lift my body off the bed. Ever since he stopped visiting, things weren’t the same for us. It felt a bit gloomy in the house. His tea cup is still laying on the drying rack, so it’s hard to forget about him and the incident.

Cutting my thoughts off, I felt another weight sinking me down deeper into the bed.  _ And it’s moving _ , I thought as I checked to see who or what has added to my suffering until I realized a pair of arms wrapped around my smaller frame and a familiar chocolate brown hair. “Hey, (N/N)! Wake up, I made breakfast! Come on!”

“Be quiet…” I murmured as I faced away from Reiji, causing him to pout, his hold on me to tighten, and whine.

“Aww, but I cooked some sunny-side-up eggs with bacon!~ Won’t you eat with me?~”

“Fine. Just wait for a few minutes…” I groaned, pulling the blanket over me while burying my face into the fluffy pillow. Then, I felt hot breathing on my outer ear.

“ _ If you won’t get up, would you mind if I kiss you, hmm?~ _ ” A baritone voice purred, the lips barely touching my ear lobe. Startled by this change in tone, I pushed him aside and got up, feeling my heart thumping loudly.

“Reiji! Don’t scare me like that! I nearly got a heart attack!” I hollered back, putting my hand over my heart in an attempt to regulate my heartbeats.

“A heart attack over me.~” He remarked flirtatiously, causing me to roll my eyes and get off from the bed to prepare for the busy day. “Oh, and before you put on your work clothes, I was planning to take a break for today. How does that sound? We could travel anywhere nearby and have a short field trip!”

“I guess it’s okay. We still have a lot of money.” I stated as I already changed into my normal clothes and slid my feet into my socks.

“Then, let’s go!”

With energy, Reiji dragged me into a brand new green car that has been waiting outside. “When did you buy this car?”

“Just recently! I got my driver’s license about a decade ago, so why not make use of it for today? Personally, I want to go to the beach, but you can choose any before we go there! What do you say?”

“Hmm. I have a few ideas in mind.”

“(N/N), I don’t know how I feel about this…”

“This place reminds me of you.”

“It’s good to know you’ve been thinking of me, but not in the way that I thought…” I decided to go to a children’s playground, us both taking over the swings while children were playing on other sets.

“No arguing. You said I get to choose before going to the beach.”

“Fair, but isn’t it awkward for us two older people to be on those reserved for children?”

“No, you just think that way because you didn’t have your childhood taken away from you on your 11th birthday. For me, it’s a return of everything nice that I used to have.”

“I see…” We both continued to swing back and forth until we gradually came to a rest. “So what do you think of love?”

Okay, that question came out of the blue. “What kind?”

“Any kind. It could be family, friends, or maybe,  _ partners in life. _ ” I could hear the chains on the swings creak slowly towards me as a hand landed on my cheek. I looked up to find the eyes of someone I knew, but they were more serious. The man in front of me was doing the same thing he attempted back when it was Christmas Eve.

_ “Perhaps we’ll eventually evolve to become more than just friends and family.” _

I didn’t think he would have the capability to corner me like Ranmaru did, but it seems I was proven wrong. “Reiji?! What do you mean?!”

“I see Ran-Ran messing with you back when I was with Ai-Ai. Doesn’t Brother get a turn as well, hmm?~”

“Reiji...there’s children here.”

“Huh? Oh right, let’s get to the next place!” Even though he's shouting with energy, his eyes conveyed the opposite.  _ I hope he's okay. _

We moved on to my next choice, a karaoke pub. After we all knew the brunet (and Ranmaru) could sing, I chose to come to this place to test how well he could sing. He might as well start another career in the music industry like Ranmaru, if he’s interested of course. “This is strange. Do you want to sing, (N/N)?”

“Maybe, but that’s not why we’re here. I want to hear you sing.”

“Eh? We’re both here, why not spend it together?”

“You’re afraid of doing it alone? I heard you sang one of Ranmaru’s songs.”

“That was a request from Ran-Ran! I can’t deny him!”

“Then you can’t deny this request.”

“Just this once, let me sing with you, please?” I’m dying on the inside…

(A song of your choice)

After we both finished singing, everyone applauded and some even asked for Reiji’s autograph, knowing that he was the person who completed a request from one of the rocker’s fans. Instinctively, his smiles widened at whatever his "fans" say. Despite this, there was still depression in his eyes.  _ Screw it, he's definitely not okay. I just need to find time to ask him. _ By the time it was afternoon, the pastry shop owner returned to where I was standing outside of the entrance. “Finally, it took you awhile. Let’s get going.” He only nodded, keeping the silence between us as we drove to the beach.

From the day I met him until now, he has been my caretaker and I’ve been getting a fair amount of money working with him, which makes me glad I didn’t take the other option to leave as soon I was cared for. I could have missed a lot of good things like knowing the four of them. Without me, Camus wouldn’t give us plenty of money so that we can suffer less, Reiji would be left to suffer alone after Aine died, and Ai wouldn’t randomly come here just to be “part of the family,” which I find adorable. I wonder what his past is like. He doesn’t talk to me as much as Ranmaru and Camus. I still miss the count.

I felt the car parking near the beach, signalling me to get off and check the dream-like scenery. The sun reflected glamorously across the sky, making it burn with bright and warm colors. The ocean water glimmered against what amount of sunshine they could capture and with it constantly moving, every beam of mirrored light contrasted from each other on its beauty. The breeze was constant and tender that our hair barely flowed against it. Such is a perfect day to realize it is currently spring.

After the brunet made sure the car was secure, we went further away from the road and closer to the low tides, careful not to soak our feet. Glancing a look his way, I knew something was distracting him from enjoying this day. I could tell. His brows furrowed and there was barely a glint in his wandering eyes. Knowing that we weren’t going to do anything but enjoying the silence, I began to converse with him. “Reiji, something’s wrong with you today and I won’t hesitate to ask you why. Why are you acting so strange today?”

There, he only stood in silence, not moving a centimeter, not replying to my question, not taking the chance for some counseling. Then, I pestered him more, coming back to being forced to say his suggested nickname and poking his shoulders, like he did to me. “Rei-chan!~ You’re not paying attention to me when I want to help you!~ Come on, Rei-chan!~ You provided me home, food, and company!~ Shouldn’t I return the favor for how hard you work every-“

“Just  **shut up!!** ” Suddenly, he forcefully slapped my hand away, causing me to back off from him and retracting the fingers that were prodding him. Upon further inspection, he was angry as if he was about to murder someone. “I don’t need your help and will never want your help!! Nothing can heal me from the pain I feel everyday!! Ever since  _ you _ came, everything I have has fallen apart!! My best friend is dead, Ran-Ran moved away from me, and Myu-chan is no longer visiting!! Now, even I’m failing in starting my love life!!”

“Wha-”

“ **I’m in love with you, (Y/N)!** ” No, this can’t be happening. I could feel the desperate cries from the person in front of me. Every word he says stabbed through my heart as I failed to notice all the signs.  _ So he was serious. _ “Ever since you came to depend on me, I feel much, much useful, like if someone cared about me, as if someone loves me as I am. But you keep rejecting my advances, no matter how hard I try…”

“Reiji...I-” I reached out to him, but he kept moving away from me.  _ Why can’t you stand still for one second! _

“No. I will go off alone. I don’t need anyone’s help. I can live somewhere else to run away from this pain. I can start all over again from zero. I just need to know where to go.” Just before I could stop him in any way, he sprinted to his car and left me in the dust. The weight from this morning added onto my back, making it feel like I’m back with my torturous family, the family who wouldn’t care about me other than getting them rich, the family who I tried so hard to escape from and ignore. Now, the nightmares, they are coming back to haunt me, this time being stronger than back then. I wanted to run away from them, get out of their clear view, but no matter what, they continue to return again and again. Without escape, the darkness crawled up my trembling legs, devouring me with it, and I failed the mission...


	14. Camus x Ai: Cinderella’s Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done! I swear this is as hard as the CamRei chapter, but hopefully, I’ll be able to progress on with the story. At first for this chapter, I was going to do some normal tea party and Ai was going to do a risky job (yeah, don’t ask), but I decided to make him the second person to know he’s a spy working in a gang, the first being Ranmaru. Eventually, Reiji and the reader will know as well. Also, I have taken an interest in seeing men cross-dressing and Ai seems like the perfect candidate over Camus. Though, I will literally die over Camus wearing a wedding dress if him and Ranmaru get married (I secretly wrote a short over Ranmaru being the dad, Camus being the mom, and Otoya being their son and honestly, I’m dying TwT). Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Only a few minutes since he left the apartment and he was already bored, even the bright colors of the streets didn’t brighten his mood. He’s been driven far from home and he didn’t want to take the taxi, because he has no money. He lives like Ranmaru in the past except his shelter was enough to warm him up during the winter season and he didn’t have a career path to follow. All he had was some female influence in the past and that was it. Expecting that (Y/N) and Reiji hadn't returned from their break, he returned to the apartment to find Camus with his hair tied up in a ponytail, reading a book with an intricate design on the cover.

There was a ton of gossip centered around this man. “He looks like he came from a rich family.” “He worked for a rich company.” “Despite eating a lot of sugar, he never seemed to get diabetes. Maybe his family had a bunch of scientists who worked very hard to make him immune to diabetes.” “He might be gay.” But there’s one thing for sure: he’s cold, noble, and not really much to play with. Even if tried, he isn’t seen laughing, similar to Ranmaru somehow.  _ Why were they both arguing earlier? _

“Camus, I believe? How’s your day going?” He politely asked the count.

“It’s a fine afternoon, perfect for reading.”

“I see.” Well, it was a short talk, figuring he shouldn’t bother the count much, but he was bored and didn’t want to walk the long distance or take the taxi. “When did you start to live here?”

“A few months, maybe more if you prefer.”

“How long will you live here?”

“Could be forever. Could be in the next minute.”

“So it doesn’t matter…” This was getting him nowhere. “So what are your favorite things to do in life? Currently, I have nothing else to do and was wondering if we could do something together…” He felt a little nervous and started fidgeting with his hands while looking down in a pout. The blond sighed before setting down his book.

“There’s a ball later tonight and I was invited to attend it, but there’s no one I know that is suitable to accompany me. I may help you out of boredom if I receive your permission on something.”

“What would that be?”

“Well, it’d be improper for me to bring another man as my partner, so I want you to disguise yourself as a lady.”

“I see…” There’s no way out of this. “I’ll gladly take this offer.”

“Good to hear. It’s 1 p.m. Excuse me while I go make a call.” He nonchalantly replied as he got his phone out and went out of Ai’s sight.  _ I wonder what I’ll look like in a dress… _

“Follow me.” The noble led him outside of the apartment, where a black limousine was waiting for the both of them. Before the teen could open the door himself, he sprinted ahead and did it for him, gesturing him inside. He then spoke in his usual butler-like voice. “Come on in. For this occasion, I will treat you as my lady.” This flattered Ai. For all the years he lived in isolation, he has never gone to a party, especially those like these.  _ Is he like this to all the women he invites? Did he go to a party like this before? Why was he invited? If he’s important, I hope my inexperience doesn’t damage that demeanor. _ He backed up a bit, hesitant about accompanying the blond before him. “Hmm? What’s the matter?”

“N-No! Nothing’s wrong! Just nervous! I have never gone to a celebration before!”

“There’s no need to be. All you have to do is genuinely smile and stay by my side unless I tell you otherwise. Be confident with the one you’re with. Now, let’s get going or we’ll be late.”

“Right.” They both entered the limousine, thus beginning their long journey.

During the time of preparation, they stopped at a few places, all of which Camus ordered their workers to help Ai get a formal dress, a set of heels, a new hairstyle, and makeup. Ai was wearing a milky white ball gown decorated with roses ranging from white, pink, and lavender. The bottom of the dress almost touched the floor, but it was able to hide his actual height. His feet wore clear blue short heels covered with real white pearls and diamonds. His teal hair was wavy, some his hair made into a braid and was kept in place by a single white flower. He also wore white lace gloves and a pearl lavender crown. For makeup, he had longer eyelashes, a soft light pink blush, and lipstick that matched the color of his blush.

After the workers finished, he took a quick glance in the mirror. His current look is elegant, gorgeous, and expensive. Just the dress and shoes made him feel bad about not being able to pay back. He went to find the blond but he was nowhere to be seen until he showed up in a neat ivory suit, complementing the dress the teen is wearing. His hair is still tied like before, but it’s acquainted with an ice blue ribbon. “You look dazzling, madam.” He complimented, kissing the knuckles of Ai’s hand.

“Same to you. Now, let’s get going.”

By the time they reached the ball, it was 7. The sun had already gone down and stars began twinkling in the dark sky. The party happened to be at some huge mansion up on a huge grassy hill. Bright yellow-ish lights shine through the glass doors and windows, only showing the dark silhouettes of those conversing or ‘having the time of their lives’. It gave this party some sort of medieval feel. When the limousine stopped, Camus opened the door for the tealette and gently wrapped his arm around his as they stepped into the entrance. As they entered, people greeted them, left and right, but one conversation caught his ears.

“Blue Heron! How are you doing?”

“Doing fine, sir. What about you?”

“Exhausting, I say! I was able to help on an important mission dealing with one of our major enemies! That’s why we’re having this party! It’s been a while since you last went to one, right?” _ Mission? Is this why there’s a party? _

“That’s right.”

“And who’s this lady you asked out today? She doesn’t seem familiar, but she is beautiful.”

“Aren’t all ladies that he brings beautiful?”

“Yes, but she’s different than every other somehow.”

“Of course, she’s not from where we work, but she’s someone I know for quite a while. Her name is Lavender.”  _ He already got a female name for me. There really was no reason to worry. _

“I see.”

“Blue Heron, have you finished your set of missions yet? I miss you hanging out with us every once in a while.”

“No, not yet. I have to get the last artifact before I return.”  _ So that’s why he was staying here, and he’s going to leave. I feel sad. _

“Good luck.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, gather around the stage!” On the wooden platform, there stood a woman in a snow-coloured gown as if this was the medieval times. Then again, this is a party for the nobles. She is surrounded by a lot of bouncers, signifying how important she is.

“Look, the leader’s here. Let’s go.”

“Madam, you can go wander around, but make sure to come back when you’re done. The refreshments are over at that table and the bathroom is over there.” The count pointed to the respective places before following his coworkers.  _ Speaking of food, I haven’t eaten for the whole day. Might as well enjoy myself. _

The teen walked over to the table to check out what this party has to offer. The only thing catching his eye is the cake. Compared to the other foods, one serving of cake is plentiful. Other food servings are shrunk to the size of a cracker sandwich, which isn’t much. Starving, he took a slice of cake and ate it off to where people won’t notice him at all, outside. But before he could leave, the person who told him he could wander off held him back by wrapping an arm around the one that wasn’t holding the cake. “Huh? I thought you said I could wander anywhere.”

“...” Instead of answering, he went ahead and took a scoop of cake on Ai’s plate.  _ He must really like desserts. That’s why he goes to Reiji’s pastry shop, but aren’t there other pastry shops?  _ “Perfect as expected.” Camus smiled for a bit until there was a window crash and an object came flying across the ball room, which turns out to be the first dead victim.  _ Wait, dead? _ As if he expected this to happen, the blond quickly maneuvered through the crowd, keeping the tealette close as they used the table as a shield. Bullets continue to fly in all directions, destroying a few objects and injuring several people. Then, some suspicious-looking people entered the room and continued the shooting.

“Where’s the leader???”

“She must have ran away dammit!!!”

“Quick!!! Search the whole mansion and round up any survivors!!!” The group split up to cover more ground.

“Ma’am, leave this instant. I’ll hold them off.” The count ordered as he pulled out a machine gun from behind. Not wanting to risk his own life, he escaped the party that has become a hostage crisis. He was so caught up in running away that he didn’t notice that he lost both shoes and that from the bottom of his dress downwards is soaked from crossing a pond. Anyhow, he was safe once he was out of sight.

He thought he was done panicking until he tripped over something.  _ Or someone. _ Knowing who it is, he carried her and frantically called an ambulance.


	15. Ai I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!!! IT TOOK SO LONG TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER, BUT I’VE DONE IT!!! Suddenly, I was so bored out of my mind that I can’t even think of how to make this chapter not trash, and my procrastination has gotten worse! I don’t know if I could finish this and the other story in due time, but finally, it’s here! And Ai finally gets a moment with (Y/N)!

_ Grass...Light...So much light…So much happiness… _

_ My eyes opened to the sight of the bright blue sky. It looked so real that I wasn’t even sure if this was a dream or not. I checked my surroundings. A strangely familiar park. Lots of children laugh, one of them is my own. When was this? I clearly must have not remembered this. Who knew 10 years of torture could make me forget the bright days before? There were children running around the park, enjoying the sunshine. I decided to join them, but before we got to decide for our next activity, I heard wailing. “Hey, (Y/N)-chan. Someone’s crying.” _

_ “Wait, why are you telling me?” My child self questioned my past friends. _

_ “Don’t play dumb! You’re the oldest out of all of us! You’re like our leader!” One of them said. I didn’t bother to remember their names. For this whole time, I was taking a trip to the past. It wasn’t horrifying or anything, I was curious to see who’s crying. So following my instincts, I went to check on the crier, only to see someone who looks awfully like Ai, but the child me didn’t know about that. He looks around 4 or 5 years, but he has no parents. He feels neglected and forgotten, like his parents completely left him behind. He’s also in a bad condition. There were many scars and specks of dirt. How long has he been out here? _

_ Softly, I spoke, “Are you okay?” I kneeled beside him, fully checking out his features. At first, it was strange to find someone with cyan hair, especially on this young boy. He stopped some tears from flowing, slowly looked up, then back to the ground, not being able to answer. Not wanting to scare him, I took a deep breath and asked, “It’s okay to not tell me about your problems, but it’ll make me happy if I can help you in some way, even if it’s little.” I turned to my friends. “Does anyone have any tissues?” _

_ “I’ll go ask my parents for some.” One of my friends left while I sat close to the tealette, but far enough to give him some space. _

_ “So where are your parents? It’s not okay to be out here all alone.” By the time I said the word ‘parents’, the young boy is back to crying. Ah, I see where he came from. His parents had left him behind to be lost in this bustling city recently. Why else would he just cry out in the streets without much commotion? “I see...Well, you can be part of our ‘family’. We promise we’ll take care of you.” Just in time, one of my friends came back with plenty of tissue to wipe his tears away. He looks up at you with those teal eyes of his. _

_ “Really?” He questioned shyly. _

_ “Of course! You can stay in the treehouse! Come on!” I pulled him up, causing him to stumble forward a bit until he maintained his posture. He’s only a few inches shorter than me (let’s say you’re around 3’9” and Ai is 3’5” during this time) and him being a bit clumsy—Ah, he’s so adorable! _

_ My friends were hesitant about having this boy staying at a treehouse. “Are you sure it’s safe for him to stay here? He’s going to be lonely at night. At least one of us should ask our parents to adopt him.” _

_ “No. We don’t need our parents to know. This is a secret between us, okay?” They all nodded and we gave him a short tour of the treehouse. Afterwards, we did a little do-over for the boy, changing his clothes to new ones. The only clothes I gave him was a light purple scarf, but he seemed grateful for it and wore it everyday, even during summer. I also named him “Aoi”, meaning “blue ocean” because his hair is blue and somehow, he reminds me of the ocean (It’s okay if you thought I named him after Ai’s voice actor, Shouta Aoi). From then on, we took care of him, shared a portion of our food, taught him a few basics such as the alphabet, and made him comfortable in our tree house. We played many games like hide-and-seek, marco polo, hop scotch, and especially family. Aoi is always the baby in our family, but it’s cute that he attempts to argue that he shouldn’t be the baby. “I’m not a baby! I can be the dad and handle everything!” _

_ “Yeah, and I would like to see fish fly!” We simply laughed it off as Aoi pouted and blushed in embarrassment. _

_ Years have passed and many of our friends slowly disappeared, either moving somewhere far away or deciding to move on, forgetting about the poor tealette. He looked down sadly and I felt sympathetic for him. “You all promised you’d take care of me…” _

_ “Aoi…” At the time, I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t know we’d go on our divided paths this soon. Afraid that he’ll get hurt because of us, I hugged him tightly, not letting go. “It was bound to happen. We’re still children, so some of us can’t make the decision to stay. If you’re going to be alone, I have to teach you everything about surviving alone. I can’t have you suffer like the time we found you. You wanted to be dependable, right? You must be able to do everything alone first, so I will make an attempt to teach you.” _

_ For several days, I taught him how to clean clothes, clean the treehouse, etc. He would nod if he got it and would successfully handle it on the first try. He’s such a fast learner. “I’m sorry that you’ll be alone.” _

_ “Don’t worry about that. I’ll do fine, but what about you? Will you promise to stay with me once we can be together again? By then,  _ ** _I’ll be the one to save you._ ** _ ” _

_ “Eh? Were you inspired by one of the fairytales we’ve read together?” _

_ “Maybe, but surely, I don’t want to leave your side. My heart will feel more pain if you leave me for good. Promise me that you’ll wait for me?” _

_ “Promise!” On instinct, I held his hand tightly, suppressing the warm pink hue on my cheeks as I avoided his gaze. I felt him returning the motion and that was the last time I felt the comfortable warmth. _

_ As expected, I left him, not because I was moving or forgotten about him. Well, I did forget him later on, but it’s because I wasn’t able to meet him. 10 years of my family forcing me to eat knowledge and abusing me prevented me from ever seeing him. There was no free time, only work. But now, I’m free from all that and I remembered Aoi. I wonder how he's doing for a decade. Then, I heard an angel’s voice calling out to me. Am I in heaven now? “(Y/N), wake up, please…” _

_ But then, I heard the heart rate monitor casually beeping. That’s right, I’m in the hospital. If I remember, the last time I was conscious was when Reiji left me, just like Camus. Wait, then how did I get to the hospital? _ Reluctantly, I woke up to check on my surroundings and surprisingly, I found Ai sleeping in a chair close to my bed. Before, I was having memories of Aoi, and now, I’m seeing Ai in the same room as me. It’s not helping that they are very similar, with the eyes, hair, and scarf. It makes me wonder if Ai is Aoi in the past. Then again, Ai and Aoi also look like Aine, so I might be wrong. Trying not to leave the bed, I softly brushed my hand against his cheek and then undid his hair.  _ This may be awkward to say to a man, but his teal hair is delicate and smooth, just like the ocean. _

When his hair slowly covered his nape, I realized,  _ for this whole time,  _ ** _Ai is Aoi._ ** I’m awfully overwhelmed to know the boy who I left behind for a decade has come back. He was the one who told me to leave my family and have Reiji welcome me to work at his pastry shop while living peacefully. He’s an angel that saved me from the pain of abuse and provided me a place to live while making money. He must have also got me to the hospital after I collapsed. I wonder how he found me after a full ten years. In the middle of my shock, I felt a hand weakly grab my hand that was running through his hair, forcing my eyes to lock onto his. He looks serious, but seems shy to say something, so I decided to start. “So you’re Aoi this whole time…” He nodded, wary that I might be mad at him. _ He’s still adorable, despite him being about 19 years old. _

There was more silence between us until the doctor came in and told me that I suffered from malnutrition. Oh, that’s right. I didn’t eat lunch or dinner when we were on break.  _ I’m definitely going to blame Reiji once he gets back. _ Then, he told Ai that he needs to make sure I eat and drink properly just as we were beginning to take our leave. When we left the hospital, he began to bombard me with questions. “What happened on the day you and Reiji went on break? What happened to Reiji? Why did Camus stop going to your store? Why did I find you passed out when I found you on the ground? Even if we haven’t really talked to each other over the years, it doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to worry about your being!” I stayed silent, thinking back on what Camus and Reiji said when they left me...

_ “It’s just a bit too risky to be calling each other friends...You are too naive to know. We are not and will never be friends. Relationships between the producer and the consumer are forbidden.” _

_ “I don’t need your help and will never want your help!! Nothing can heal me from the pain I feel everyday!! Ever since you came, everything I have has fallen apart!! My best friend is dead, Ran-Ran moved away from me, and Myu-chan is no longer visiting!! Now, even I’m failing in starting my love life!! I’m in love with you, (Y/N)! Ever since you came to depend on me, I feel much, much useful, like if someone cared about me, as if someone loves me as I am. But you keep rejecting my advances, no matter how hard I try…I will go off alone. I don’t need anyone’s help. I can live somewhere else to run away from this pain. I can start all over again from zero. I just need to know where to go.” _

I frowned as I remembered how cold they were. I’m not sure I want to talk about it right now, so I kept my mouth shut and looked away.

“Ah, I see. You’re not in the mood to talk about it. Do you have the spare keys for the pastry shop? Even if Reiji’s not here, you need proper shelter and a nutritional diet.”

“I do.” I told him as I pulled out a set of spare keys. “But you don’t have to take care of me like a mom.”

“I have to. I can’t leave a female to work by herself as it leaves her more susceptible to rape and conflict. I can’t have male strangers taking you over when you’re alone. Who knows when Reiji will be back?”

“Are you possibly jealous?” I smirked at him. The question caught him off-guard, making him childishly pout.

“Why would I feel jealous? I only have to make sure you don’t get hurt or die when Reiji’s not around. How careless can he be to leave you like this? Whatever he did, it had a negative impact on you and he left you for good, so I decided to take care of you in his place.”

“How long have I been gone?”

“About a day or so. You suffering from lack of nourishment doesn’t take a long time to recover from. However, it doesn’t seem like Reiji will return any time soon. He even took his car with him. Anyways, let’s head back to the store.” I nodded as I realized that we’re lost.

Since the time we left the hospital, we have no idea where we’re supposed to go. “Um, where are we? We’re lost, aren’t we?” This made the tealette stop in his tracks, causing me to sigh. “You know we could just get a taxi and have them drive us straight to Reiji’s store. It could make our lives easier.”

“I guess you’re right.” I got out my phone to call the taxi. This is the phone Reiji gave me. Ever since he left...I tried not to think much about it. But the confession he gave me, I cannot just forget it. Unlike the other times where he childishly begged one of us, he was more desperate. His usual happy demeanor faded away at his painful cracked voice like the time when Aine died. Now that he left and he hasn’t contacted me since then, I wonder if he’ll be fine in this unstable situation…

“(Y/N), are you okay?” The calm voice interrupted my thoughts, making me realize that I’m with Ai, still lost in this world outside the usual streets we see everyday. His words were filled with concern as he looked at me with those teal eyes of his, just like me when I asked him why he was crying back when we were children. Is it finally time to spill the beans? Well, he’ll keep asking me every time I get distracted, so I gave in and told him the truth. Without a thought, my arms wrapped around his body and I leaned forward so that my face was into his chest.

“No...Everything that just happened, I’m not feeling too well about. Reiji left us and Camus stopped coming to our store…Am I going to be alone like when our friends left us and my family abused me?” Finally, I was being honest. It was only right to do so. We were childhood friends and Ai kept his commitment to reunite with me. Then, I noticed that he hugged me back. I knew he was adorable, but what? Never in a lifetime that I’d be THIS close to him. We’ve only held hands back when we were children and he couldn’t go out alone without someone keeping him company. If I had a chance to hug him then, this wouldn’t be a shock to me now. I can hear him breathing steadily, his chest heaving as normally as it ever should be, his heartbeats thumping along with mine. Suddenly, it feels as if everything was stripped from the world we’re in, our bodies swimming ever closer together until impact, and our attention focusing on nothing but each other. My poor heart can’t handle this…

“Not going to happen. First, you left your family and they probably don’t care about you, so there’s a small chance they’ll find you. Second, didn’t I promise that I’ll stay by your side? Don’t say you’ve forgotten what I said to you as we departed…”

“No, but I didn’t think you’d be serious about it.”

“I’m serious about everything, (Y/N). If I wasn’t, would I still be here?”

“Fair point.”

  
He sighed. “At least I’m still here, so don’t worry too much. I can still contact Ranmaru and let him know what he missed.  _ You’re my princess now, and as the most loyal, I’ll help achieve your dreams as well as you help mine… _ ”


	16. Ranmaru II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m apparently still alive and writing! It’s now taking longer for me to finish the next chapter than earlier this year because of my classes, but I finally made it and the next chapter. Hopefully, I’ll be able to have more time to write somewhere around Christmas. Now, this doesn’t mean I’ll make another Christmas chapter (since the current chapters are still taking place in the summer in Japan, some time in May/June I think), but when the times come, I’ll probably make a chapter some holiday yet celebrated in this story. Who knows?

After we reached the pastry shop, Ranmaru was able to join us in a meeting. “So that’s what happened just recently. So much has happened for a short time.”

“It’s only a few days.” The teen corrected him, making the rocker glare at him.

“Still, who knew Reiji would leave at the tension of it all. That idiot could be anywhere right now.”

“I hope he doesn’t hurt himself. He cared for me after I left my family.”

“He’s not the only one, you know.”

“Wait, is this the first time he's done this?”

“Yes, though that question is better answered by a currently dead friend of his. Those two have been together longer than me and Reiji have.”

“So getting back on track, how should we handle this? Of course, (Y/N) should continue the business or it’d be strange for regular customers to know that the store suddenly closed because  _ someone _ decided to skip work, but obviously, we can’t just let her work alone.”

“I agree. The outside streets are no place for a kid.”

“Excuse you. I’m a full-grown adult, thank you very much.”

“But you’re a female. If you work alone, there’s a greater chance of danger than working with another person.”

“That’s what I was tryna say.” At this point, they started arguing, but it was interesting somehow.

“She’s over 20 at this point. She can handle the majority of this and still come out fine.”

“But she’s been suppressed by her family for a decade! Nothing is fine about that!”

“I said majority, meaning that most of the time, she’s okay.”

“Stop correcting me!”

I, now getting tired of the bickering, stepped in between them and separated them. “Guys, guys. I know you two are worried about me, so how about we all work here?”

“That’s fine by me.”

“Tch. Lucky kid.”

“I’m 19. You don’t seem to be busy with your job, so what’s your excuse?”

“...”

“Ranmaru, are you going to help me or not?”

“Of course I will, but you two better not interrupt me when I am busy.”

“Alright.” Afterwards, we continued conversing who would do which. Turns out that Ranmaru is going to cook and Ai is going to clean the dishes and the store while I am getting orders and giving them to customers. And while Ranmaru is busy with another job, I will cook and clean while Ai gets and gives orders. Now, it wasn’t that difficult since Ai’s the only one who can’t cook, making me wonder how he managed to survive so long. I only left him for at least a decade and back then, I didn’t know how to cook. Then, we were left to do our own things, leaving my mind to think about the absence of Reiji and Camus. It’s hard to forget that they used to be around before everything that just happened since they were with us for the few months I’ve been here. And to consider that the people around were kind, it hurts as much as my old family did. It’s common sense we should continue our daily lives as normal, but it doesn’t feel right just to ignore them.

“Yo, (Y/N). Stop looking like ya’ gonna leave like Reiji.” A voice awoke me from my inner thoughts, causing me to check who said that, that person being Ranmaru, whose arms are resting at the table.

“I’m not planning to! I can’t drive like him and there’s enough food here to last me!”

“I hope so. Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

“You were only there for a month…”

“Well, there was a better option. Someone gave me some money to buy a hotel.”

“Someone?”

“I don’t know, but they seem to be a fan of mine.”

“I see,” I said monotonously. At this point, I didn’t care what I was feeling. Life has been brutal to me, so I don’t expect any less.

“I thought Reiji told you.”

“He didn’t.”

“That idiot…”

“You have a habit of calling him an idiot. Why is that?”

“Well, it began a few years back when I first met him. Days ago, I migrated to this country where the only experience that I had was my dreams and my knowledge in its language. Like you, I left my family for better things, or so I thought. At this age, it’s common sense that adults should be serious. For Reiji, it’s the opposite. He’s playful and optimistic, and I first thought he was  _ way  _ younger than me. But after he told me his age, it would be fitting to call him an idiot.”

“He’s very different back then.”

“Yeah, it’s surprising he left the job he worked on his whole life, but I’m not here to talk about him.”

“Hmm?”

“If Reiji didn’t interrupt us back then, I would have stayed longer. How about continuing where we left off?” As he asked, he moved closer to me, like  _ very close _ . His lips are about a few centimeters away from mine, his warmth rushing into my mind.

“Huh?! Um…” I can feel my cheeks getting warmer as he stared at me for an answer. I did remember Reiji saying that he finds interest in me since he’s only being like this around me, but I didn’t think he meant that he has affection for me. _ But everyone else... _

I stayed silent for a bit until he sighed and scooted back. “It’s too early, isn’t it? You’re worried about Reiji, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“You have the right to be. He took care of ya after you left your family. He gave ya clothes, food, and shelter. He allowed you to earn money as well while staying here, but I haven’t done anything for ya since we met.”

“That’s nonsense. I still remembered the day you made omurice after attending the funeral.”

“Huh, so you do remember…”

“So if it’s okay, can you cook for us again?”

“Can’t ya cook for yourself?”

“Yes, but your cooking is better than mine!”

“Sometimes, I’m not available and ya obviously know why.”

“Right…”

“But I can teach.” He stood up and walked to the kitchen.  _ Should I follow him? _ “Well? How long are ya gonna make me wait?”

“Oh, right!” I rushed to the kitchen and washed my hands before standing beside him. From there, he taught me everything from preparation to finishes. He especially emphasizes that “we should put our feelings in cooking like music.” Every time I make a mistake, mostly because I keep “being robotic like Ai,” he keeps shouting at me and that I’ll ruin the whole food, even if I cook it perfectly. 

Eventually, I finished and Ranmaru let me try my cooking. “Huh! Wow! It’s even way better than how I cooked before!”

“Told ya. Honestly, that’s what you’re missing ever since Reiji left.”

“Huh?”

“In reality, you don’t see me acting like him, but if ya’ know me as an idol, I still shine like a star, through and through. When you find yourself in difficult situations, strive through like I did because there’s no easy way in life. Either you keep fighting or surrender. Ya’ gotta believe Reiji will come back. Someday, you’ll save someone with happiness because like me, you’re a star. When a star dies, they explode with color, so before you die, you must live happily, right? So don’t give up just yet.” How unexpected. I never saw this side of him before, but he really wants me to be happy.

“Thanks, Ranmaru…I really needed that…”

“No probs. You were down all the time and-” Suddenly, I don’t know why, but I feel fluffy on the inside, just enough to unconsciously wrap my arms around him. It’s strange to hug someone who doesn’t seem like the type to be emotional, but here I am,  _ hugging him _ . He fell silently as he watched in shock, surely seeing my nervousness rising to my face and knowing this makes it even worse! I quickly let go of him, hoping that I didn’t ruin anything, but he just sat there, processing what just happened until he averted eyes and covered his face with his hand. Eventually, he regained thought and spoke. “Dammit...Warn me next time you do that. Nearly gave me a heart attack.” I nodded in reply, him slowly getting up from his seat.

“Are you happy?”

“Well, I don’t hate ya…Is that good enough?”

“Yeah.”

“Looks like I gotta go. See ya tomorrow.” He turned around and exited the shop, did a single wave as he left. I smiled at him. I am glad I was able to have a deep talk with him and am somewhat soothed that all will be well. I still have Ai and Ranmaru to hang around with and hope that the others will come back soon. But what he said, Reiji is right. He does like me more than just a friend.


	17. Ranmaru x Camus: Family

“Wake up, hostage! Now’s not the time to be napping!”

“Ngh…” Camus groaned as he slowly woke up from unconsciousness, opening his eyes to scan his surroundings. He’s still in the same place that he went to for the party, now in tatters since another gang went in and ruined the celebration. He let the person who accompanied him flee from the disaster as he saved the rest of his gang members, leading him into this current situation. Now, both of his arms are tied with strong metal chains, making it hard to escape from using normal force. Of course, Permafrost is known for their ice powers, so he could break out of it easily, but there’s a mere chance that he’ll survive once he breaks free, considering the amount of people surrounding him with armed guns in their hands, so all he could do is sit. Angering his captors will make things worse.

“Finally awake now, are we? We already sent a quick message to your leader that we captured one of Permafrost’s best men and are deciding your outcome. Besides, you have something that we want.”

“Forget about it. There’s no way I will tell you. That artifact is very precious that Permafrost won’t let any of you hooligans put a single fingerprint on it. No one has yet found its powers, but it is without a doubt dangerous to not only oneself, but to the entire universe we live in, so we plan to destroy it once we get it back.”

“Interesting you know so much about  _ the Wishing Star _ . Care to tell us where it’s hiding?”

“Again, I’ll tell you no such thing. I’m the only one who knows of its whereabouts and if you kill me, you will never find it.” That was a lie. The count didn’t know exactly where it’s hiding, but he’ll have a better chance at finding it if he can manage to save his own life.

“Don’t play with us. We’ll find it either way. Now, how about a last call before we get rid of you?”

“No privacy, huh?”

“We’re not letting you call for help. When it’s time to die, you die.”

“So that’s how it is. Then, I have an idea on who to call.” He glanced at the person near his phone. He shook in fear as the count’s icy glare pierced him. “You there. Open my contacts and call  _ him _ .”

“But there could be thousands of contacts to pick from.”

“I said call him! I didn’t say choose one!”

“Alright! No need to shout at me!” The coward complained as he opened the home screen and went to his contacts. He pressed one contact named “Furball.” Everyone in the room began murmuring to each other.

“Make sure to put it on video call at full volume.” The leader told him as he pointed the screen at the blond as the phone rang. Eventually, someone picked up.

“Who on damn earth is calling me? I’m busy.” On the screen, the rocker lays in bed staring at the ceiling and contemplating life at the moment. He didn’t seem to bother checking the caller, causing the blond to sigh.

“Small-brained Dandelion. You may call your friend an idiot, but what about you? It’s common sense to ignore the unknown person, yet you decided to answer the call anyways. Check who you’re calling.” At that insult, the man on the screen jolted up and finally faced the camera, now horrified.

“TALL LADY??? Why are you calling me and how’d you get my phone number???”

“That doesn’t matter. Just thought I should annoy a certain someone before I go.”

“Why on earth would I care?”

“Look at the circumstances we’re in. Now, that’s all I need to tell you.” Before Ranmaru could rebut, he ended the call and gave his phone back.

“Now that’s over with, gentlemen, shoot him until we are sure that he dies.” Just when the bullets were about to pierce through his body, he used his icy powers to launch himself up into the air at an angle towards the set of doors and grabs his phone as he dashes out the exit, bringing shock to everyone who witnessed it first person. This causes the leader to holler at them. “Don’t just stand there!!! Get him!!!”

Camus ran as fast as he could through the big building, trying his best to dodge the bullets, and in the nick of time, the person who he just called appeared in front of him with a motorcycle. “Hop on! We’re leaving!”

“And so you decide to show up. Took you awhile.” The blond scoffed as the motorcyclist took off at a high speed, barging through the entrance of the mansion and driving them onto the road.

“Well, I was trying to remember that place. It was a mansion that my family used to hold, an’ it was a good one too.”

“How unfortunate. Now, why did you save me? You despise me as well as I despise you.”

“Tch. You lured me into a situation I don’t wanna be in. I noticed you were ‘bout to get killed. If I didn’t save you, I’d be guilty of a murder that I didn’t prevent. I still hate you.”

“Good to hear that you’re not an utter fool.”

“Ha.” They both stayed silent as he continued to drive. It was a late afternoon, and the ocean glimmered. To the count, it was as glamorous as the icicles in the cave or the Northern Lights at night. So many things have gone wrong. He couldn’t find the artifact, he nearly put two people to death, and now he’s sure the other gang will follow him, risking everyone he’s around with, but at least the Wishing Star is far from being captured.

Once they reached the apartment, Ranmaru stopped the motorcycle and turned to him. “Hey, about last time…”

“Hmm?”

…

_ “BASTARD, COME BACK HERE AND TAKE IT LIKE A MAN, THEN I’LL STOP CALLING YOU TALL LADY!!!” _

_ “Again, why must you be so insistent on bothering me?!!” The noble glared at him, but before he could get his answer, he was pinned against the wall with a ‘thud’. _

_ “Ya’ have something to do with Reiji and (Y/N), doncha?!! The store’s closed today and I don’t ‘member their store being closed since his family left, so something must’ve happened and I blame ya’ for it!!! What have ya’ done this time?!!” _

_ “They have no idea who they were talking to. You know who I am and what I’m capable of. We cannot be friends under these circumstances.” _

_ “You could have told them that you were some gangster. I know they cannot handle being lied to, especially Reiji.” _

_ “Can’t believe you’re lecturing me. Here I thought you don’t care about those two.” _

_ “Well, ever since (Y/N) arrived, I knew things would take a huge turn. Don’t you remember the gifts you gave them during the holidays, ha?! You gave Reiji a snow globe and (Y/N) a book! Is there any significance to any of those?! _

_ “The snow globe was from a store I happened to pass by at the time! And the book, I never knew what’s inside it!” _

_ “You’re lyin’, are-” _

_ “You think I am? Don’t make me laugh. That book has magic capabilities like I do. It will never open for anyone as far as I know.” _

_ “I don’t believe ya’.” _

_ “Then explain how’d I escape from a room full of armed men.” _

_ “...” The rocker remained silent, causing the count to scoff. _

_ “Pathetic. You know I can possess a gun, but you don’t know that the gang I work for can handle magic.” _

_ “Hah?” _

_ “I will not repeat myself. Magic is the reason why Permafrost is on top. No one but us can possess it and its knowledge. However, the book is created by someone more superior and older than me, so I can’t open it and will never know how. Besides, he’s dead already. If he was still here, I would have at least a clue about it.” _

_ “Why do you want to open it so badly?” _

_ “Isn’t everyone curious what their past is like, even if it’s brutal? The book contains all details regarding my birth. Permafrost has been known to maintain the privacy of all its members from outsiders.” _

_ “But why give it to someone else?” _

_ “Someone else? You must be ridiculous. I cannot just give it to anyone. At least, that was what he told me. I must give it to someone I trust that will not damage the book and hold that book until I come back to get it. I suppose you know why I choose that person.” _

_ “But it doesn’t make sense! You rejected her and Reiji as your friends! Why do you even trust them?!” _

_ “Even if it was planned, she seemed like the person you would trust that everything will go well, right? She sees us as a family and I believe that is the most important thing in life, even if it betrays you. The term ‘friends’ is unfitting for them and for me. Everyone must belong somewhere and I will keep searching for it. Now, excuse me. You’re delaying my tea time.” At that, Camus began his departure, leaving Ranmaru to contemplate his life. _

…

“So...what ya’ say about family ain’t wrong for once. We belong somewhere. But Tall Lady-”

“Call me by my actual name.”

“Tch! You! This is why I’d rather leave you behind and dead!”

“Just complete what you’re about to say.”

“Fine! As much as I hate to tell it to ya’, you…” He paused for a bit before slowly becoming hesitant. “ ** _You belong in our family_ ** ...Family doesn’t have to be related, y’know? You don’t have to continue searching for a place to belong because you’re already home. I’m not that much sentimental, considering how I was still the same as when I met Reiji, but it’s okay to put us in danger. What’s not okay is deceiving us like earlier! That’s not right! So you can leave us, but at least try to undo the damage between you and those two before you leave!”

“I…Thank you. However, I can’t allow that. I’m not just deceiving you, but deceiving those who are watching me, waiting to attack me and steal the Wishing Star.”

“Wait, is that what you’re after?”

“Yes. No one has found it yet, but I can’t leave yet.”

“Why?”

“The book I gave to (Y/N). If she is no longer trustworthy, I will discreetly take it back before I leave. If she is, I will stay.”


	18. Camus II

Just another day without Reiji. I’m bored out of my mind. Unlike him, me and the other people that I work with don’t talk much with the customers, killing off the usual warm atmosphere that the pastry shop gives. Even some people who’ve been customers here for a while were starting to question where Reiji is, but we made up an excuse that he’s on vacation when we actually don’t know where he is.  _ I hope he doesn’t kill himself or do something drastically... _

After we finished all of our work for the day and everyone left, I went to my room and laid on my bed. There was no one else in the store, I had nothing to do, and I’m left alone, so I looked around the room for something to do until I saw a strange book. It was the only book in my room. As I stepped closer, I started to notice that it was the book that Camus gave me on Christmas. If I remembered, he said it was dear to him, so I became curious what he grew up with to become the person he is today. Gently, I opened the book to the first page and saw it set up like a notebook. I began to read from there.

_ (Unknown) _

_ So it’s my first time recording in a book. I know we weren’t supposed to record anything as one of the top gangs in the world, but I want to write my memories just in case I won’t remember. It’s just a sad thing to forget something you want to remember, but my gang doesn’t have room for that. _

_ Permafrost is an organization dedicated to preserving magical artifacts that doesn’t belong to the public, though others call us a gang because we have weapons and because it’s cooler. The people here are cooperative, making this gang seem like a good workplace to work in, but it’s not. The leader, The Silk Queen, doesn’t allow us to care about others because it will slow us down during our missions. _

_ Before I was welcomed into the group, I was a revolutionary cognitive psychologist. I have studied the thoughts of my clients and found a connection between events, thoughts, and the aftermath. What event happened and how a person reacts to it will lead to a certain effect. It is amazing how one person who was a kind person became a homicidal person. When the queen realized my intelligence, I became one of them, working as the info manager, organizing information and providing them for missions. I wasn’t allowed to leave the building, and if I wanted to get a break, I could go to their indoor garden or the break room. The only people allowed to leave are those who are on missions and the people who are gathering information, disguising themselves to fit wherever they’re going to. Otherwise, we only go out when the queen holds a celebration, which only happens once a decade or so. I’ve been to 2 parties. _

_ January 27, XXXX, the day Camus was released from the hospital after he was born. That was also one of the days that the queen held a party, my first one, which explains how old I am. I was in one of the chauffeur cars, leaving the celebration until there was an accident involving his family and some of the members, one a drive named “Blue Jay.” Gathering evidence, this person was playing a game on his phone one-handedly, not looking at the road, so there was some fault on our side. _

_ After the crash, there was a burning metal pile with Camus alive and intact. There wasn’t a single scratch on him, a miracle born from bloodshed. It’s even more surprising that this baby didn’t cry a single drop after witnessing his family’s death, since he’s only a few days alive. Because of this, the queen decided to adopt him into our gang, unfortunately giving him the code name “Blue Heron”, naming after the driver that caused this whole mess. She expected that this child would become someone of worth in the future. _

On the next page, there were pictures of Camus growing up. Looking back, he’s still the same, even in his younger years. Though, it’s kinda cute that he’s pouting instead of his usual glare these days.

_ From then on, we moved on. We never told him he had a family, we never gave him a family name, we never reminded him of the past. All of those choices will lead to him turning his back on us. For the whole time he’s been with us, we were considered his family. Permafrost is a cold place to be in, to call one's own family, but we still successfully carried out missions like we usually do. The person who we trained since he was a newborn has become a useful tool that even the Silk Queen allows him to lead some important missions. Everyone now looks up to him, but unfortunately, he isn’t very social compared to the rest of us, so I convinced the Silk Queen to give him “The Wishing Star” mission. _

_ The Wishing Star is an ancient artifact made by our ancestors that can grant one wish only. Afterwards, it’s only a piece of stone. For centuries, we attempted to dig one up, only to find that it’s the last one. Knowing that we were the only ones who knew, the Silk Queen found this as a way to steal the wealth of other gangs as well as earn power through it, so she sent Camus to return that artifact. Who knew as soon as Camus came out searching for it that the other gangs would come out looking for it as well? Unfortunately for them, I’ve been holding it up until now. I’m nearing death and I’m writing these last words before casting magic onto the Wishing Star to hide it from plain sight until he finds it. _

_ There are certain conditions in which the Wishing Star will reveal itself. _

  * _It must be given to someone who’s not a gang member._
  * Camus must trust this person that they’ll protect it from danger.
  * The person he trusts gets to this entry once the book is opened for an allotted time, which is when they are desperate to get closer to him no matter the costs.

_ If these conditions are fulfilled, the Wishing Star will appear before them. Hopefully, Camus won’t open the book before he gives it to someone and the other gangs won’t know what it looks like before it reveals itself. Indeed, I’m a genius for thinking of this complicated plan. _

Just as I finished reading, the book closed itself and transformed into a sight that only nature itself can conjure up, something resembling a light blue sapphire with a snowflake being encased in it. It floats below the light in the room, shining like the sunrise in the arctic. I held it above my hands so that it could descend gently onto them like a maple seed, but before I got it, a hand bigger and more elegant than mine grabbed it, causing me to look at who caught it. And just giving the person a glance, I loosely dropped the book, realizing that this person is Camus. Swiftly, he caught the book in his hand and I was able to come up with a word. “Why…you just…”

“Shush. Keep it between us. I’m here to get the book back.”

“Are you here to just get it back?”

“Apparently not. I sensed a magical disturbance within the book and wondered what it was. Looks like you were the key to getting it.”

“Key? To what?”

“The reason for my search. From the book, I assume you already know what I am searching for. This blue crystal is the Wishing Star.”

“So checking back...Camus, you trust me? It was one of the qualifications.”

“Let me see.” He opened the book with one hand and held the gem in the other. “Hmm. Interesting. Who knew that my caretaker is capable of such things…”

It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts before he turned to me. “Let me repeat what I said before. We are still not friends.”

“Oh.” I glanced down to the ground, slightly frowning at such disappointment until a hand lifted my chin up, directing my eyes towards his icy blue ones.

“However, destiny has united us together. The spell is deeply connected to my caretaker’s intentions, which is for me to find love. Although the spell is solely created by him, it was my decision to decide who on the outside would fit with me. In other words, and I’m sure you’re well aware, but I have unrequited feelings for you.” He gave me a serious stare, hinting that he wasn’t joking. Why would he? Even though I wanted to answer, my lips weren’t able to form any coherent words. Either way, he understood clearly as he backed off a bit. “Perhaps it’s too soon to call. For now, I will keep the gem and you keep the book. I hope to get an answer the next time we hold a conversation. Farewell, madam.” He knelt down and lightly kissed the back of my hand before he left me in my room for the night. That small contact, although it came from the person with an ice cold personality, was filled with the warmth from last Christmas.

I felt this feeling tracing up my spine and onto my cheeks as I stood in awe. It eventually took some time until I could think about what just happened. Camus just came into the pastry shop when I already locked the door, so he must have come in with magic, and it’s likely he came in silently or I was so distracted in my thoughts to notice him. It startled me that he was able to sneak in without me noticing. Maybe that’s why Ranmaru and Ai wouldn’t want me to work alone. With everything he told me, I’m very concerned about my life. He is working for an organization which holds a dangerous lifestyle. Guns, mobs, magic, and bullets. He’s even being chased down because he has a powerful gem that can grant one wish and so far, no one has gotten to use it. Also, Camus considers me dear, so my life is at risk.

At least he let me keep the book or he would have found out that there were pictures of the little him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done...
> 
> There’s nothing much in the notes this time as I’m not feeling too well at the moment.


End file.
